tun panes were cracked in a Saar al oF “for comminu An, 
substances. In this process about half the kernels remained unhurt. . 5 
kernels were obtained with but a slight admixture of shell parts. The kern 
ground, showed 30.96 per cent. of oil and 9.92 per cent. of water, and viele 
of the shells sinks to the bottom of the chloride of magnesia solution aintoat immicieee y i 
upon its being stirred; the lighter parts of the shells get saturated with salt solution 
upon standing and sink for the most part after a short time. In the height of summer 
the washed kernels may be dried in the open air. e 
When the intact kernels are placed in salt solutions, little or but traces of diced 
solution and decomposition of the amygdaline can take place; on the other hand if 3 
the kernels are thoroughly crushed it might happen that, of repeated additions of such ~ 
kernels are made to the solution, sufficient hydrocyanic acid might find its way into 
the liquid to affect the health of the workmen. By frequently changing the cheap so- — 
lution and by working in an open shed this possibility might be counteracted success- — 
fully. Alpers himself reports that though he treated several cwts. of plum stones in the “ 
above manner, the kernels of which had become partly comminuted, he felt no bad effect. 
_ The oil pressed from the kernels, which had been partly comminuted and treated — 
in the magnesium chloride solution, was somewhat turbid to start with, but it soon 
became clear. It had a mild and pleasant though somewhat bitter taste and smelled 
strongly of bitter almond oil. In salads prepared with it, taste and odour of bitter 
almonds predominated, and persons who tasted the salads pronounced it to be an 
uncommon, though not exactly unpleasant taste. Odour as well as taste of bitter 
almonds were, however, easily eliminated by distillation with steam. After this treat- 
ment the oil had a fine and delicate flavour. Heated to 160°, or after: standing in an 
open bottle for a fortnight, the oil was almost odourless. The heating had not affected 2 
its quality either. In the steam distillate from ce) g. of oil 4 mg. of eg acid 4 
were proved to be present. ae 
J. Merz*) is of opinion that he has solved the question of exploits shone fruit % 
kernels in a different, and, as he believes, far more rational manner. According to 
his process the stones are disintegrated and the resulting mass is extracted. In this 
manner the whole of the oil contained in the mass is recovered free from hydrocyanic 
, acid on account of the steam process in recovering the solvent. The residue, freed 
m from the oil, is finely ground and the resulting meal may be used for feeding cattle. 2 
The kernel meal may be separated from the shell parts by means of a special blast- 
sifter, without previous grinding of the mass freed from the oil. The oil thus obtained | 
may be refined to a culinary oil of irreproachable quality, same as all extracted oils. ’ 
| cc 
Ambergris. On Ambergris and its examination Ch. Bruff *) has published a short — 
treatise which we reproduce herewith: — Most of the Norwegian whaling companies — 
have their fields of activity in the Antarctic Seas where they hunt chiefly the blue wha 
and other cetaceans.. Some of the companies have their districts ae the fie { 
oe a ee eee 
fs. 
. 1) Chem. Ztg. 40 (1916), 716. Further particulars on new sources of oil may be found under this he: 
- in an article published in the Zeitschrift fir angewandte Chemie [29 (1916), I. 337]. — ie Tidsskrift fo ; Kes 
Farmaci og Terapi, Kristiania, 1. May 1915, N° 9, page 125. 
XU 
