MR. BRODIE ON MYRICIN. 
93 
even a small portion of substance can be thus obtained, and it is necessary to use, 
during the filtration, a hot water apparatus to prevent the precipitation of the whole 
matter dissolved. I have never been able to succeed in further raising the melting- 
point of this body, and therefore regard it as pure. In this condition it crystallizes 
on cooling from the melted state, and its crystallization is marked by striae parallel 
to the line of cooling ; it being in all respects, but the melting-point, similar in ap- 
pearance to cerotin as procured from Chinese wax. 
I give this method of preparing this substance as it was the first I adopted, and 
as it can thus be procured in a high state of purity. I afterwards however disco- 
vered the use of rectified coal naphtha as a solvent for these substances, and by far 
the best and simplest method of procuring the body is by crystallization out of that 
solvent, of the precipitate from the alcoholic solution which I have before mentioned, 
as procured by dissolving in alcohol the wax matter obtained by decomposing by an 
acid the soap from the myricin. By alcohol the basic portion of the saponified rnyricin 
is separated from the acids. By naphtha the substance of 85° melting-point is sepa- 
rated from another and probably an analogous body, of which I shall speak hereafter. 
This substance gave to analysis the following numbers. The result is the same in 
whatever way the substance is prepared. 
Substance. 
CO,. 
HO. 
I. 0*2685 grm. gave . . 
. . 0*8075 
0*341 
II. 0*2597 grm. gave . . 
. . 0*7839 
0*3326 
III. 0*278 grm. gave . . 
. . 0*84375 
0*35325 
IV. 0*2584 grm. gave . . 
. . 0*7812 
0*325 
V. 0*251 1 * grm. gave 
. . 0*7595 
0*3215 
VI. 0*261 7 "1“ grm. gave . 
. . 0*7870 
0*3295 
which give 
in 100 parts — 
I. 11. 
III. IV. 
V. 
VI. 
Carbon 
82*02 82*40 
82*77 82*43 
82*48 
82*01 
Hydrogen 
14*11 14*25 
14*11 13*97 
14*22 
13*99 
Oxygen 
3*87 3*35 
3*12 3*60 
3*30 
4*00 
100*00 100*00 
100*00 100*00 
100*00 
100*00 
These analyses agree with the formula— 
Atomic weight. 
Calculated. 
^60 
. . 360 
82*19 
H62 . 
. . 62 
14*15 
O 2 . 
. . 16 
3*66 
438 
100*00 
This substance I propose to call Melissin. 
* This substance was procured directly from wax, from which it may be obtained and purified in the same 
manner as from the purified myricin ; which is the simplest way of procuring the substance if the other pro- 
ducts of saponification are not required. 
t This substance was procured from the Ceylon wax mentioned in a former paper. 
