( IB ) 
recover any dissolved acids. A few drops of slightly soluble fatty 
acids were recovered. 
The separated acids, after having been dried over anhydrous sodium 
sulphate were subjected to a careful fractional distillation, which 
yielded two fractions boiling constant within a few degrees, one at 
about 205° and another at 238°. Of acids having a higher boiling 
point, only traces are present. 
The liquid boiling at 205° solidified when cooled in liquefied 
ammonia. The melting point was situated at — 5°.2, D 1S = 0.932. 
These constants agree with those of n. capronic acid M. 
The acid boiling at 238° solidified to a beautiful crystalline mass at 
a temperature below 15°. The melting point was 15°.2, D 14 = 0.913. 
n. Caprylic acid*) has the same constants; addition of caprylic acid 
in. p. 15° from the specimen collection of the laboratory did not 
cause any melting point depression. 
The amount of caprylic acid in the oil investigated was about 
eight times that of the capronic acid. 
The content in neutral volatile constituents amounts to a few per 
cent only and consequently I had at my disposal such a small 
quantity that a separation by fractional distillation gave no sharp 
results. Fractions were obtained boiling at about 170°, 196° and 208°. 
These were again united and heated with strong aqueous potassium 
hydroxide. After dilution with water a very slight quantity of an 
oily liquid separated which resisted a further treatment with the 
alkali. The alkaline liquid was heated in a flask to obtain the alco¬ 
hols formed. The distillate gave, on addition of potassium carbonate, 
a separation of about 0.5 cM. 3 of a mixture of alcohols, which 
commenced to boil at about 70° and in which the presence of ethyl 
alcohol could be demonstrated with certainty (iodoform reaction) 
whilst the presence of methyl alcohol*) is very probable. Moreover, 
an odour of fusel oil is noticed in the fraction having the higher b.p. 
The acid mixture formed in the saponification contains mainly 
caprylic acid, which was isolated in a pure condition, and to judge 
from the b.p. also a slight quantity of capronic acid. 
The oil of the fruits from Morinda citrifolia therefore contains 
h Georg W A. Kahlbaum, Zeitschr. phys. Gh. XIII 40 [1894], gives the m.p. 
as — 5°.2, the b.p. as 205°.7 (corr.). 
2 ) For n. caprylic acid Georg. W. A. Kahlbaum (loc. cit p. 62; gives the m.p. 
as t.o J .l, the b.p. as 237°.5. Schey, Rec. 18, 185 [1899] found the m.p. = l6 °> 
and D 2C) = 0.910. 
3 ) Methyl alcohol occurs in abundant quantity in the durian fruits (from 
Duiio zibethinus Murr.). 
