176 
IOWA ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 
became a thin liquid and had a specific gravity of .988. It 
resembles the Rhus oil in some of its properties. It is 
essentially a non-drying oil. 
An average of three determinations of the iodine value 
gave the following: 
1. .1815 gram of the oil gave or required 0.01584 gram of iodine. 
2. .1560 gram of the oil gave or required 0.01364 gram of iodine. 
3. .1638 gram of the oil gave or required 0.01422 gram of iodine. 
Per cent of iodine: 
(1) (2) (3) Average. 
87.1 87.4 86.74 87.2 
The saponification and acid values were, allowing for the 
difference in the amount of tannic and malic acids, the 
same as in the Rhus oil proper. 
THE UNSAPONIFIABLE SUBSTANCE IN BETA OIL. 
By the ordinary method, a large amount of unsaponifi- 
able matter was determined. Several analyses were made, 
an average of which was 2.26 per cent of the oil. Upon 
examining the oil, it was found to be of complex nature. 
The body of the oil seemed to have the same composition 
as the alpha oil but the substances appearing as impurities 
were different. The chief substance, however, was the 
compound which belongs to the so-called unsaponifiable 
substance group. 
During the past few years, several of these compounds 
have been isolated and some of them analyzed. This 
work has led us to believe that these substances which are 
now labelled “Unsaponifiable matter 7 ’ will be found to be 
a distinct class of organic substances. 
SEPARATION OF THE ALCOHOL FROM THE OIL. 
It was found in studying the oil that acetone dissolved 
about 80 per cent of the oil, leaving behind the remainder 
as a black, tar-looking oil w T hich contained nearly all of the 
alchohol. Upon standing, the alcohol precipitated out 
almost quantitatively. The substance thus obtained, was 
saponified with alcoholic potassium hydrate and extracted 
with ether. On evaporating the ether the substance was 
