CONSTITUENTS OF THE FRUIT OF ANACARDIUM. 139 
be heated to 302° without affording condensible products ; 
but even at 212° it evolves a peculiar odour, witliout how- 
ever experiencing any perceptible alteration in weight. At 
392° it is decomposed into a very mobile, oily, colourless 
hquid, which was not further examined. It burns with a 
bright smoky flame, and produces a greasy stain upon 
paper. It is heavier than water. On long exposure to the 
air it deliquesces, and diffuses an odour perfectly similar to 
a rancid fat ; and this occurs more rapidly with the acid 
separated by sulphuretted hydrogen than with that prepared 
with sulphuric acid. It dissolves readily in ether and alco- 
hol, and the solutions strongly redden blue litmus-paper. 
The crystallized acid afforded on analysis the following 
results : — 
Carbon 75.06 75.02 75.07 44 = 75.04 
Hydrogen, 9.17 9.19 9.19 32 9.07 
Oxygen 15.77 15.79 15.74 7 15.89 
From the analyses of the lead and baryta salts it was evi- 
dent that 2 atoms of water may be replaced by bases ; the 
formula of the anhydrous acid is consequently C^'^H^^Os, 
and its atomic weight 4179. GS ; that of the crystallized acid 
C44j[^30O5 ^ 2H0, and its atomic weight 4404. G4. 
It forms with bases partly crystalline and partly amor- 
phous, compounds in definite proportions ; the neutral salts 
contain 2 atoms of base ; in many salts however only 1 
atom of water is exchanged for a base ; it has therefore a 
great tendency to form acid sa\is.— C/iem, Gaz, 
