CONSTITUTION  OF  THE  WAX  OF  MYRICA  CERIFERA.  343 
tated  with  small  quantities  of  boiling  alcohol  until  the  fusing 
point  of  the  portion  undissolved,  remained  constant  at  62°  C. 
The  several  alcoholic  solutions  thus  obtained  were  then  mixed 
and  evaporated  to  the  point  at  which  crystals  formed  on  cooling, 
the  whole  allowed  to  cool  to  the  ordinary  atmospheric  tempera- 
ture, the  crystals  thus  formed  removed,  and  the  process  repeated 
several  times,  by  which  means  a  still  further  portion  of  the  least 
soluble  substance  was  removed.  The  fluid  filtered  from  the 
crystals  was  now  treated  with  caustic  potash  and  after  addition 
of  wrater  the  whole  was  heated  until  no  more  alcohol  could  be 
expelled.  The  precipitate  obtained  by  treating  this  solution 
with  sulphuric  acid,  was  dissolved  in  alcohol  and  subjected  to  a 
fractional  crystallization  to  remove  palmitic  acid,  by  which 
means  a  sufficient  quantity  of  the  substance  fusing  at  43°  C.  was 
obtained  for  an  elementary  analysis. 
The  two  substances  thus  obtained,  and  which  from  their  fusing 
points  and  other  characterististic  properties  were  pronounced  to 
be  respectively  palmitic  and  lauric  acids,  were  further  purified  by 
solution  in  alcohol,  decolorization  by  animal  charcoal,  resaponifi- 
cation,  decomposition  of  the  soaps  by  acids,  and  careful  washing 
with  distilled  water,  by  which  means  they  were  obtained  in  a 
state  of  nearly  absolute  purity. 
The  above  operations  were  very  much  complicated  by  the  fact 
of  the  strong  tendency  of  lauric  acid  to  form  an  ether  when  left 
for  any  length  of  time  in  contact  with  alcohol.  In  this  respect 
it  far  surpasses  palmitic  acid.  A  mixture  of  these  two  acids  in 
which  there  was  a  great  preponderance  of  the  latter,  was  digested 
for  several  days  in  alcohol  at  the  ordinary  temperature  of  the 
atmosphere.  Upon  adding  a  weak  solution  of  potash  to  remove 
uncombined  acid,  and  finally  washing  with  water,  an  oily  fluid 
was  obtained  which  became  solid  by  a  very  slight  decrease  in 
temperature,  and  which  upon  examination  turned  out  to  consist 
of  nearly  pure  laurate  of  oxyd  of  ethyl.  This  ether  could  only  be 
decomposed  by  prolonged  digestion  at  a  moderate  heat  with  a 
very  concentrated  solution  of  fixed  caustic  alkali. 
The  palmitic  and  lauric  acids  obtained  in  the  preceding  opera- 
tions were  subjected  to  combustion  with  oxyd  of  copper  and  ox- 
ygen gas,  with  the  following  results : 
