Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1888. 
Maize  Oil. 
327 
directions.  Inasmuch  as  the  industry  that  yields  this  oil  in  course  of 
time  promises  to  increase,  and  the  oil  to  be  obtained  in  unlimited 
amounts — indeed  it  can  now  be  obtained  in  any  quantity,  car  load  lots 
or  otherwise — it  is  not  probable  that  the  output  will  ever  be  less  than 
the  demand.  It  is  peculiarly  of  necessity  an  American  production  and 
will  always  probably  be  at  our  command. 
The  price  is  reasonable  now,  in  car  loads  being  40  cents  per  gallon ; 
of  course  in  smaller  quantities,  as  it  will  be  obtained  by  the  retail  drug- 
gists, there  will  be  an  increase  probably  reaching  60  cents,  but 
even  if  the  price  should  be  equal  to  that  of  cotton  seed  oil  or  a 
httle  above  it,  so  far  as  I  am  concerned,  I  say  that  it  has  proved 
in  my  hands  enough  superior  to  cotton  seed  oil  for  the  making  of 
volatile  liniment  (wherein  I  suggest  its  employment),  to  merit  a  better 
price. 
Properties. — Maize  oil  has  been  analyzed  by  an  English  chemist,  and 
the  well-known  authority,  Prof.  Chas.  O.  Curtman,  M.  D.,  of  St. 
Louis,  has  determined  its  character  as  follows : 
"  Oil  from  embryo  of  Indian  corn,  in  unrefined  state,  has  a  specific 
gravity  of  0.916  at  15°C.,  which  is  nearly  that  of  pure  olive  oil  (0.915 
to  0.918).  The  elaidin  test  shows  the  presence  of  a  large  quantity  of 
olein,  intermediate  in  quantity  between  olive  and  cotton  seed  oils.  Its 
color  is  a  pale  yellow  brown ;  its  odor  and  taste  that  of  freshly  ground 
corn  meal.  It  belongs  to  the  non-drying  group  of  the  vegetable  oils, 
experiments  showing  that  a  very  thin  layer  on  paper  does  not  in  three 
weeks^  time  form  a  pellicle  on  the  surface  exposed  to  air.  In  this 
respect  it  closely  resembles  the  oils  of  olive,  almond,  colza,  rape-seed, 
etc.  It  does  not  very  rapidly  become  rancid  by  exposure  to  air,  and 
in  this  regard  compares  favorably  with  the  best  oils.  Its  use  produces 
no  specific  purgative  effect  any  more  than  olive  oil.  With  ammonia 
or  solutions  of  caustic  alkalies  it  rapidly  saponifies,  forming  a  white 
soap.^^ 
ANALYSIS  BY  F.  WILLIAMS,  LIVEEPOOL,  ENGLAND. 
Fatty  acids  (free)   0.88 
Total  fatty  acids  ,   96.70 
Unsaponifiable,  mucilaginous  and  albuminous  bodies  1.34 
The  sample  is  a  non-drying  oil,  and  very  easy  of  saponification. 
Being  in  a  crude  state,  direct  from  the  mill,  I  have  subjected  a  portion 
of  the  oil  to  a  process  of  purification  or  refining,  finding  the  loss  sus- 
tained to  be  a  little  over  four  per  cent. 
