AmAp?Sr'ifih3arm' }      Constituents  of  Taraxacum  Root.  179 
fraction  so  obtained  separated  in  small  needles,  which  melted  quite 
constantly  at  82— 84 0  : 
0.0673  gave  0.1946  CO,  and  0.0820  H20.      C  =  78.8  :  H  =  13.5. 
C27H5402  requires  C  =  79.0:  H  =  13.2  per  cent. 
This  acid  was  thus  identified  as  cerotic  acid,  although  the  melt- 
ing point  was  somewhat  higher  than  that  usually  assigned  to  it. 
The  next  two  fractions,  of  lower  melting  point  (75 — 77°),  also 
appeared  to  consist  essentially  of  cerotic  acid,  since  they  gave  on 
analysis  the  following  figures :  C  =  78.5 ;  H  =  13.2  per  cent. 
The  most  readily  soluble  fractions,  which  melted  at  56 — 58%  were 
distilled  under  diminished  pressure,  when  practically  the  whole 
passed  over  between  205°  and  207°/i2  mm.  After  one  crystallisa- 
tion of  the  product  it  melted  at  60 — 61  °.  and  was  identified  as 
palmitic  acid.  (Found.  C  =  75.0;  H  =  12.7.  Calc,  C  =  75.0; 
H  =  12.5  per  cent.) 
Unsaponifiable  Constituents  of  the  Petroleum  Extract. 
The  ethereal  liquid,  obtained  by  extracting  the  hydrolysed  petrol- 
eum extract  of  the  resin  with  ether,  as  above  described,  was  dried, 
and  the  solvent  removed,  when  125  grams  of  a  yellow  solid  were 
obtained.  An  attempt  was  first  made  to  separate  the  constituents 
of  this  material  by  direct  fractional  crystallisation,  but.  as  this  was 
unsuccessful,  the  various  fractions  were  separately  acetylated.  and 
the  resulting  products  subjected  to  prolonged  fractional  crystallisa- 
tion. The  solvents  employed  for  this  purpose  were  ethyl  acetate 
and  a  mixture  of  the  latter  with  alcohol. 
Isolation  of  a  Xew  Moxohydric  Alcohol,  Taraxasterol, 
C29H47.OH. 
After  many  crystallisations  of  the  above-mentioned  acetylated 
products,  a  small  fraction  ('5.2  grams )  was  obtained,  which  sepa- 
rated in  handsome,  colourless,  hexagonal  plates,  melting  at 
251 — 2520,  and  this  melting  point  was  not  changed  by  further 
crystallisation.  A  portion  of  this  acetyl  derivative  was  hydrolysed 
by  boiling  it  for  three  or  four  hours  with  an  alcoholic  solution  of 
potassium  hydroxide,  after  which  the  alcohol  was  for  the  most  part 
removed,  water  added,  and  the  resulting  solid  collected.    On  crystal- 
