1907.| Destiny of Cholesterol in the Animal Organism. 217 
and Obermuller: care had, however, to be taken not to allow the alcohol 
added to amount to more than 1/10 to 1/12 of the volume of the ether, lest 
any of the hippocoprosterin should be precipitated along with the soaps. The 
mixture was well shaken, allowed to stand overnight,and the soaps filtered 
off and washed with ether. The filtrate was then shaken, first with an equal 
bulk of water to remove alkali and alcohol, and then with water containing 
potash to remove the last traces of soap. The ether solution was finally 
separated off, dried, and evaporated. 
The crude extract was dark red, liquid at 100° C., and had a pungent 
smell like that of wood spirit. It dissolved in boiling alcohol (with the 
exception of a small residue soluble in benzene), giving a deep red solution 
which could be partially decolorised by treatment with charcoal. The char- 
coal, however, subsequently required repeated extraction with alcohol, as it 
obstinately retained the substance. The pale yellow filtrate, on cooling, set 
to a bulky gelatinous mass which was difficult to filter and left a solid which, 
on drying, shrank up to light flakes of impure hippocoprosterol. This was 
dissolved in ether and precipitated by alcohol, the process repeated, if necessary, 
and the nearly white material dissolved in ether and allowed to crystallise 
by slow evaporation. 
The alcoholic mother liquors obtained in the above processes were subjected 
to further crystallisation till only oily matter remained. 
Examination of Horse Excrement. 
The hippocoprosterol obtained, as above, was purified by crystallisation 
from benzéne or ethyl acetate, and finally from ether. Sometimes it was 
necessary to use charcoal again before the last traces of colour could be 
removed, but often this could be dispensed with. The yield was 0:2’per cent. 
of the dry feces. 
Hippocoprosterol is a light, white substance, which may be powdered, but. 
cakes together under slight pressure. It dissolves at the boiling temperature 
in all the usual solvents (except water), but comes out again almost completely 
in the cold. Thus its solubility in benzene at 16° C. is only 0°32 part per 
100 parts of solvent. From ethyl and methyl alcohol, ethyl acetate, glacial 
acetic acid and acetic anhydride, it comes out as a white jelly; from ether, 
petrol ether, benzene and chloroform in a more powdery form. From strong 
solutions it crystallises in microscopic needles grouped in stars, rosettes,and 
comet-shaped clusters, but on slow evaporation these clusters may be obtained 
1 to 2 mm.in diameter. Ifa dilute ethereal solution be allowed to evaporate 
spontaneously, large transparent masses of crystals are obtained, consisting 
of fan-shaped groups of needles springing from a common base. It melts 
