238  Adulterations  in  Oleum  Theobroma.  }AmAly]\l%rm- 
cannot  be  relied  on,  as  an  amount  of  animal  fat  from  5  to  10  per  cent, 
is  not  indicated  at  all,  and  a  larger  adulteration  is  not  likely  to  occur, 
as  the  taste  and  odor  would  be  sufficient  to  betray  such  a  gross  sophis- 
tication. 
To  ascertain  the  purity  of  the  different  oils,  I  applied  Bjorklund's 
lest  as  given  in  the  "  Pharmaceutische  Zeitschrift  fiir  Russland,"  1863- 
1864,  p.  401.  This  is  done  by  dissolving  in  a  test-tube  5  grs.  of  the 
oil  in  10  grs.  of  purified  ether,  sp.gr.  0728,  shaking  the  mixture  until 
the  solution  becomes  clear,  and  then  immersing  the  tube  in  water  of 
the  temperature  of  32°F.  By  this  method  I  obtained  the  following 
results  :  Balli,  After  i\  minutes  the  fat  commenced  to  crystallize  out 
in  small  granules  of  the  size  of  a  pinhead  ;  after  10  minutes,  the  solu- 
tion was  still  transparent  and  the  separation  of  crystals  continued  with 
increased  rapidity,  forming  on  top  of  the  solution,  and  then  falling  to 
the  bottom  ;  after  30  minutes  the  whole  of  the  fat  had  crystallized  out. 
Left  at  a  temperature  of  58°F.  for  several  hours,  the  oil  became  re- 
dissolved,  forming  a  yellowish  and  perfectly  transparent  solution. 
Carracas.  The  separation  of  crystals  commenced  after  three  minutes, 
they  being  somewhat  larger  than  in  the  preceding  ;  after  ten  minutes 
the  same  phenomenon  as  in  Balli  ;  after  thirty-eight  minutes  the  con- 
tents of  the  tube  became  solidified,  re-dissolving  after  standing  at  the 
temperature  of  58°F. 
Guayaquil.  Crystals  appeared  in  the  clear  solution  after  five  minutes. 
The  complete  separation  and  re-dissolving  took  place  as  in  the  two 
preceding  varieties. 
San  Blass  and  commercial  sample  A  behaved  the  same  as  Carracas. 
Commercial  sample  B  was  more  than  five  years  old,  and  of  a  rancid 
odor  and  taste.  The  formation  of  those  minute  crystals  occurred  only 
after  fifteen  minutes,  and  it  took  nearly  an  hour  before  the  whole  be- 
came crystallized. 
I  tried  also  the  behavior  of  mutton  suet  and  commercial  stearin  dis- 
solved in  ether,  and  subjected  to  the  same  test,  and  observed  that 
neither  one  of  them  gave  a  clear  solution  with  ether,  but  formed  a 
mixture  resembling  an  emulsion. 
Dissimular  was  the  result  I  obtained  with  mixtures  of  these  fats  and 
pure  cacao-butter.  Thus,  a  mixture  of  50  per  cent,  of  either  one  with 
the  latter  gave  as  clear  a  solution  as  pure  oil,  which,  however,  on  immers- 
ing in  water  congealed  nearly  at  once.    Oil,  which  I  adulterated  with 
