7S 
MISCELLANY. 
pilosis of the milk sugar; he first took the white of a fresh egg, dissolv- 
ed it in distilled water, and followed the process described above, 
but the sugar underwent no alteration. He then placed the coagulated 
white of egg for some weeks in contact with water, and when it had 
become acid he added to it some milk sugar and carbonate of lime. 
After standing for six weeks in a warm chamber, the greater portion 
of the milk sugar had changed into lactic acid, and very beautiful 
groups of crystals of lactate of lime were obtained from it. M. Wack- 
enroder concludes from these experiments that the albumen of the 
white of egg is not able to convert the milk sugar into lactic acid until 
after its coagulation and passage into acid fermentation; and that the 
negative result, obtained with the fresh white of egg, should probably 
be attributed to its alkalinity. — Chem. Gaz.,from Archiv. der Pharm. 
On the Composition of Sugar of Gelatine. By A. Laurent. — The au- . 
thor has examined some sugar of gelatine in very beautiful crystals, 
and found 32.10 per cent. C, 6.66 H. 18.92 N, whence he deduces the 
formula C 4 H 5 NO 4 ; this gives C = 32.0, = H 6.66, N = 18.66, 
= 42.68. According to this, sugar of gelatine would be isomeric 
with urethylane. When 1 equiv. water is added to hippuric acid, we 
obtain C 18 H9 NO 5 + RO = C 14 H 6 O 4 -f C 4 H 5 NO 4 .—Ib.fromComptes 
Rendus. 
On the Composition of the Oil of Ben. — By P. Walter. — The oil of 
ben does not yield, on saponification, any volatile fat acid, but four 
fixed fat acids; viz. stearic, margaric, and two new acids, which the 
author calls benic and moringic acids. 
The benic acid occurs in very small quantity in the oil of ben; it 
consists of C 80 H 30 O l , and consequently belongs to the homologous 
series RO 4 , being situated between myristic and ethalic acids. It 
crystallizes from its alcoholic solution in very voluminous tufts, and 
fuses at 126° — 127°. Benic aether is very soluble in alcohol, and is 
deposited from the solution as a crystalline mass, but not in distinct 
crystals; it melts at a very low temperature, even by the heat of the 
hand, and contains C 34 H U O 4 ; it is isomeric therefore with margaric 
acid. t 
The other new acid, obtained by the saponification of the oil of ben, 
has been called moringic acid, from the name of the plant {Moringa 
aptera) which yields the oil. It is liquid, colourless or somewhat yel- 
lowish, and contains C 30 H 28 O 4 , that is to say, 2 equivs. of hydrogen 
less than benic acid. From its composition it appears to be homolo- 
gous to oleic acid. It would be interesting to ascertain whether, like 
the last, it would be decomposed under the influence of fusing potash 
