1870.] 



Presents. 



307 



nation of the baric salt, or to examine any other salts of the acid, as the 

 analysis of the acid, the silver-salt, and the ether, along with the determina- 

 tion of the baryta in the baric salt, I considered sufficiently indicated that 

 the acid under examination was palmitic acid, although I could never 

 obtain, even after fractional precipitation, a higher melting-point for the 

 acid than 57° C. 



The difference in the melting-points of the acid mass before it was 

 treated with alcohol, and the melting-point of the palmitic acid, indicated 

 that at least one other acid was present, but in very minute quantity. 



I attempted to determine the nature of the acid of lower melting-point 

 by exposing the residues obtained from the first three crystallizations of 

 the hard acid to cold in a bath of sodic sulphate and hydrochloric acid, all 

 the hard acid which crystallized out being rejected; the portion which re- 

 mained fluid was saponified with potassic carbonate, and the solution of the 

 potash soap was subjected to fractional precipitation by means of plumbic 

 acetate ; the second and smaller precipitate was collected and washed, and 

 treated for some time at a moderate temperature with dilute sulphuric 

 acid ; this caused the separation of a reddish oily-looking liquid which 

 was collected and dissolved in boiling alcohol ; it was afterwards saponified 

 with potassic carbonate, and the silver-salt prepared from that salt. I 

 only obtained sufficient of the silver-salt from about 2 lbs. of oil to make 

 one determination of the silver and one of the carbon and hydrogen, and 

 from these determinations I did not obtain concordant results, and want of 

 material compelled me to relinquish the further examination of the acid. 



Presents received March 10, 1870.' 



Transactions. 



Bordeaux : — Academie Imperiale des Sciences, Beiles-Lettres et Arts. 

 Actes. 3 e «frie, 30 e annee 1868, 3 me trimestre. 8vo. Paris 1868. 



The Academy. 



Lisbon : — Museu Nacional. Seccao Zoologica. Catalogo das Collecgoes 

 Ornithologicas. Junho de 1869. 8vo. Lisboa 1839. 



The Museum. 



Newcastle-on-Tyno : — Iron and. Steel Institute. Transactions, Session 

 1869. (Nos. 1-3.) 8vo. Newcastle-on-Tyne 1869. 



The Secretary. 



Paris : — Ecole des Mines. Annales des Mines. 2, 3, 4 livTaisons de 

 1869. 8vo. Paris. The School. 



Ecole Normale Superieure. Annales Scientifiques, par L. Pastenr. 

 Tome YL Nos. 2-6. 4to. Paris 1869. The School. 



