314       Tasteless  and  Odorless  Ammonium  Valerate.  {A"m'jJUner'i884arm' 
acid  valerate  similar  to  the  acid  acetate  of  ammonium.  When  the 
acid  valerate  is  mixed  with  a  moderate  amount  of  water,  the  normal 
salt  dissolves,  whilst  the  less  soluble  valeric  acid  rises  to  the  surface. 
The  addition  of  a  requisite  amount  of  ammonia  dissolves  the  stratum 
of  valeric  acid,  and  thus  all  the  salt  is  made  normal  and  in  permanent 
solution.  Admixture  of  simple  elixir,  colored  or  not,  with  this  solu- 
tion produces  an  elixir  of  the  normal  valerate  uncontaminated  by  free 
valeric  acid.  A  solution  of  the  acid  valerate  fumes  in  the  presence  of 
gaseous  ammonia,  showing  thereby  that  at  ordinary  temperatures  the 
valeric  acid  volatilizes  first.  From  this  the  writer  concluded  that  the 
normal  salt  is  not  volatile,  and  that  the  obnoxious  odor  is  due  to  the 
dissipation  of  free  valeric  acid.  In  order  to  find  some  expedient  which 
could  obviate  this  change  in  binding  the  incipient  acid  more  firmly,  a 
little  borax  was  added  to  a  slightly  alkaline  elixir  of  the  valerate,  col- 
ored pretty  deeply  with  simple  tincture  of  cochineal.  The  immediate 
effect  was  a  change  of  the  color  to  a  light  scarlet,  indicating  an  acid 
reaction.  More  borax  was  then  gradually  added  until  this  largely 
predominated,  but  the  new  tint  remained  unaffected.  The  sharp  taste 
of  the  elixir  had  now  entirely  disappeared,  and  the  repulsive  odor  was 
barely  perceptible.  In  consideration  of  this  result,  crystallized  ammo- 
nium valerate  was  mixed  with  four  times  its  weight  of  water,  then 
neutralized  with  ammonia,  and  the  clear  solution  treated  with  borax 
by  gradual  addition.  The  borax  was  greedily  absorbed,  but  after  a 
certain  amount  of  it  had  been  added,  a  crystalline  precipitate  of  a  new 
salt  began  to  form  abundantly,  even  during  the  further  incorporation 
of  the  borax.  On  diluting  this  mixture  with  twice  its  volume  of 
water,  it  became  clear  immediately.  The  reaction  of  the  mixture 
became  acid  after  the  first  small  addition  of  borax,  and  retained  this  con- 
dition even  in  the  presence  of  excess  of  borax.  After  one  molecule  of 
borax  had  been  consumed  by  two  ms.  of  the  ammonium  valerate,  the 
peculiar  and  unpleasant  valeric  odor  had  practically  vanished,  and  the 
taste  of  the  solution  had  wholly  lost  its  sharpness  and  valeric  character. 
It  was  now  pleasantly  sweet,  with  a  tinge  of  saline.  By  spontaneous 
evaporation,  tolerably  large,  apparently  octahedral,  crystals  were  depos- 
ited, but  when  the  solution  was  condensed  by  gently  warming  a  differ- 
ent and  more  confused  form  of  crystals  appeared.  All  these  crystals 
had  a  very  mild  saline  taste,  and  yielded  ammonia  profusely  on  treat- 
ment with  potash  solution.  These  results  indicate  that  sodium  valerate, 
