THE UTILIZATION OF CHERRY BY-PRODUCTS. 
11 
The insoluble acids comprise the largest portion of all fixed oils, 
and these were studied in detail by resolving them into the solid and 
liquid acids of which they are composed. The nature of the solid 
and liquid acids of an oil is of importance, since upon the percentage 
of these respective acids depends largely the application of the oil in 
commerce, whether it can be used for edible purposes, for soap mak- 
ing, or as a drying oil. 
The separation of the solid and liquid acids was accomplished by 
the lead-ether method. 1 The efficacy of this method depends upon 
the solubility in cold ether of the lead salts of the liquid acids and the 
insolubility of the same salts of the solid acids. After the separation 
of the solid and liquid acids the physical and chemical properties of 
each were determined, from which the approximate composition of 
the oils was deduced. 
The foregoing methods Avere applied to the crude oil which was ex- 
tracted from the pits of the domestic cherries by ether ; also to the re- 
fined oil from the pits and to the expressed oil from the kernels. The 
results of these determinations are given in Table III. 
Table III. — Chemical characteristics of the oils from cherry pits and kernels. 
Source of oil. 
Volatile 
acid, or 
Reichert- 
Meissl 
number. 
Soluble 
acids (cal- 
culated as 
butyric 
acid). 
Insoluble 
acids. 
Acetyl 
value. 
Vnsaponi- 
fiable. 
Cherry pits (red sour cherries): 
Crude 
Per cent. 
6.32 
3.665 
4.72 
Per cent. 
1.22 
.473 
.469 
Per cent. 
92 
92.5 
92.8 
20.3 
3.45 
12.67 
Per cent. 
2.45 
1.12 
.44 
The data in Table III clearly show the effect of the refining process 
upon the composition of the oils. The refined oil from the pits more 
nearly approaches the expressed oil from the kernels. As would be 
expected, the content of volatile acids is highest in the crude oil from 
the pits, while the refined oil differs only slightly in this respect from 
the kernel oil. 
The percentage of soluble acids, calculated as butyric acid, de- 
creases much the same as the volatile acids. The crude pit oil shows 
1.22 per cent of butyric acid, which in the refined oil is reduced 
to 0.473 per cent. The refined oil nearly corresponds with the 
kernel oil. 
The insoluble acids, which constitute by far the greatest portion 
of the oil, show only slight differences in the three oils. 
The acetyl values given represent the true values after correction 
for the volatile acids. If indicated without correction they would 
be too high by the amount of volatile acids present. Here, also, is 
1 Wiley, II. W., op. cit, p. 142. 14. r >. 
