242  The  Fat  of  Momordica  Seeds.        {^"-  %rn,\^^^: 
evidence  of  the  presence  of  wax-alcohols.  The  fatty  acids  on  sep- 
aration were  found  to  be  yellowish  brown  in  color  and  solid.  The 
following  constants  were  observed: 
Melting  point   46  °  C  -5 1  °  C . 
Solidifying  point   44°  C.-42  °  C. 
Acid  value   188.3 
Iodine  value   about  40 
Since  some  considerable  difficulty  was  encountered  in  determining 
the  iodine  value,  the  figure  is  not  taken  as  final.  Apparently  the 
absorption  is  accompanied  by  the  formation  of  some  unstable  com- 
pound, which  is  decomposed  by  sodium  thio-sulphate.  From  these 
constants  it  appears  that  the  fat  consists  chiefly  of  the  glyceryl  esters 
of  fatty  acids,  the  larger  portion  of  which  are  saturated,  but  no 
attempt  has  been  made  to  determine  the  composition  of  the  fat. 
On  exposing  the  fat  to  the  atmosphere  a  change  in  color  and  in 
form  was  noticed.  The  fat  gradually  lost  its  green  color;  assumed  a 
pale  yellow  shade;  a  marked  tendency  for  films  to  agglomerate 
was  apparent;  finally  it  became  grandular  in  appearance.  A  sys- 
tematic examination  of  these  films  was  conducted  with  a  view  to 
determining  the  cause  of  these  changes. 
The  following  tables  will  show  the  course  of  the  experiments: 
A. — 3.9536  Gms.  Exposed  to  Air  and  Light. 
Gain  per  Gramme 
Time  of  Exposure  Actual  Gain.  per  Day. 
in  Days.  Gm.  Gm. 
1   o .0024  o .00061 
2   0.0070  0.00177 
3   0.0216  0.00546 
4   0.0312  0.00789 
5  0.0505  0.00425 
These  figures  are  no  measure  of  complete  change,  since,  owing  to 
agglomeration,  the  lower  layers  were  not  sufficiently  exposed. 
B. — 3.5913  Gms.,  Exposed  to  Air,  Without  Access  of  Light. 
Gain  per  Gramme 
Time  of  Exposure  Actual  Gain.  per  Day. 
in  Days.  Gm.  Gm. 
1   0.0003  0.0000835 
2   O.OOII  0. 0003063 
3   0.0025  0.0006961 
4   0.0074  0.002060 
7   0.0082  0.000761 
