ON A NEW FAT ACID. 221 
ART. XLIV. — ON A NEW FAT ACID. 
By Dr. Playfair. 
Dr. Playfair had examined some of the vegetable fats 
for the purpose of ascertaining whether the margaric acid con- 
tained in them possessed a constant composition. He re- 
marked that the acid in the butter of nutmegs, was peculiar, 
and had not formerly been examined. Pelouze and Bondet 
have stated, in the Annates de Chemie, that it is margaric 
acid. 
Dr. Playfair considered that the radicals of serecic and 
cenanthic acids were similar ; in the former, however, one 
equivalent of hydrogen is replaced by one equivalent of oxy- 
gen. It is a beautiful white crystalline compound, melting 
at 49° cent., and is soluble both in alcohol and ether. The 
combination of the acid with oxide of glyceril, exists in the 
butter ; it unites with metallic oxides and forms salts. The 
formula of the acid is C 2 8 H 54 3 . 
Ibid. 
