T  H  E 
AMERICAN  JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
MARCH,  187  3. 
NOTE  ON  THE  PREPARATION  OP  OLEIC  ACID  AND  THE 
OLEATES  OF  MERCURY  AND  MORPHIA. 
To  those  of  your  readers  who  may  have  encountered  the  same  dif- 
ficulties as  your  correspondent,  Mr.  C.  Rice,  in  procuring  pure  oleic 
acid  and  in  preparing  oleates  of  mercury  and  morphia,  the  following 
remarks  may  perhaps  prove  interesting.  The  process  we  here  de- 
scribe is  one  which  we  have  adopted  after  meeting  with  the  same  dif- 
ficulties as  mentioned  by  that  gentleman,  in  procuring  oleic  acid  suf- 
ficiently pure  for  the  preparation  of  the  oleates  in  an  acceptable  con- 
dition, without  liability  to  decomposition. 
All  the  samples  we  have  hitherto  obtained,  either  from  American 
or  European  sources,  have  proved  to  be  more  or  less  contaminated 
with  oxyoleic  and  stearic  acids ;  and  it  is  perhaps  owing  to  their  pre- 
sence, in  a  certain  degree,  that  reduction  of  mercury  has  always  fol- 
lowed their  use  ;  whilst  oleates,  prepared  with  the  oleic  acid  obtained 
as  we  describe,  have  not  in  any  instance  precipitated,  and  are,  more- 
over, unobjectionable  as  to  color  and  appearance. 
Any  given  quantity  of  almond  oil*  is  taken  and  saponified  by  means 
of  potassa,  care  being  taken  to  insure  the  entire  saponification  of  the 
oil,  which  may  be  easily  tested  by  means  of  strong  alcohol.  The  soap 
is  then  decomposed  by  means  of  tartaric  acid,  carefully  washed  to  free 
it  from  bitartrate  of  potassa,  etc.  ;  then  placed  on  a  water-bath,  and 
heated  for  several  hours  with  half  its  weight  of  finely-powdered  oxide 
of  lead  ;  the  resulting  combination,  after  cooling,  is  mixed  with  about 
*We  give  the  preference  to  this  oil  on  account  of  its  lesser  liability  to  sophis- 
tication. 
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