Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
April,  1920. 
The  Fat  of  Momordica  Seeds. 
241 
B. — Kernels. 
Per  cent,  of 
Per  cent, 
of  Seed. 
28  .90 
0.65 
1 .  Petroleum  Spirit  Extract 
2.  Ether  Extract  
3.  Chloroform  Extract  
4.  Alcohol  Extract  
Kernel. 
47.06 
I  .03 
0.17 
3-44 
o. 
2.18 
Again  it  is  interesting  to  note  that  no  alkaloid  was  present  in 
the  residue.  The  residue  from  the  petroleum  spirit  extract  was  a 
pale  brown  viscous  oil.  On  exposure  to  air  it  rapidly  filmed  on  the 
surface,  and  on  continued  exposure  it  was  converted  into  a  whitish 
solid  mass,  easily  reducible  to  a  powder. 
The  result  of  these  experiments  led  to  the  present  examination 
of  the  seeds  with  a  view  to  ascertaining  whether  the  oil  would  be  of 
commercial  value  as  a  drying  oil. 
Since,  as  will  be  shown  later,  the  heating  of  the  oil  to  a  tempera- 
ture approaching  100°  C.  had  the  effect  of  altering  the  composition 
of  the  oil,  a  method,  other  than  that  of  extraction  by  means  of  a 
solvent  and  subsequent  evaporation,  was  employed.  Cold  com- 
pression yielded  little,  since  the  fat  was  fairly  solid.  With  the  ap- 
plication, however,  of  slight  heat  the  fat  was  readily  yielded,  and  a 
method  of  extraction  based  upon  this  result  was  adopted.  After 
removal  of  the  seed-coats  the  kernels  were  coarsely  powdered  and 
submitted  to  pressure,  the  necessary  heat  being  obtained  by  means 
of  a  steam  coil  round  the  press,  and  was  adjusted  to  produce  in  the 
mass  a  temperature  of  about  40°  C.  The  fat,  of  which  a  good  yield 
was  obtained,  was  greenish  brown  in  color;  had  an  unpleasant  and 
penetrating  odor;  on  cooling,  solidified  to  a  pale  green,  granular 
mass;  when  worked  at  atmospheric  temperature  became  fluid. 
The  green  color  was  most  probably  due  to  traces  of  chlorophyll 
from  the  coating  of  the  cotyledons. 
On  examination  the  fat  gave  the  following  constants: 
Saponification  value   185.2 
Acid  value  
Iodine  value  
Refractive  index  (40°  C.) 
Ester  value  
Melting  point  
Unsaponifiable  matter .  . . . 
a  trace 
I  .496 
183.3 
28*'  0.-32°  C. 
I  -9 
23-4 
After  saponification  of  the  fat  the  alcohols  were  separated,  and 
were  found  to  consist  principally  of  glycerol,  the  residue  giving  no 
