GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
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that  it  was  due  neither  to  the  grease,  the  iodide,  the  water  nor 
to  the  manipulation.  Since  arriving  at  this  conclusion  he  has 
had  it  confirmed  to  his  own  satisfaction. — Repert.  de  Pharm., 
Mai.,  1866. 
New  facts  relating  to  fixed  Oils.  By  M.  J.  Nickles. — There 
exists  in  the  commerce  of  southern  France,  an  oil  called  oil  of 
apricots,  which  resembles  the  oil  of  sweet  almonds  in  appearance 
and  many  of  its  properties,  but  is  cheaper,  and  is  used  for 
adulterating  the  latter  oil.  The  author  was  called  upon  to  assay 
a  sample  of  oil  of  sweet  almonds  suspected  of  this  adulteration. 
He  found  that  oil  of  apricots  was  susceptible  to  the  action  of 
hydrated  lime  in  powder,  forming  with  it  an  emulsion,  which 
slowly  takes  an  unctious  consistence ;  on  the  contrary,  oil  of 
almonds  is  not  emulsionized  in  this  case  ;  by  repose  the  cal- 
careous powder  separates  little  by  little  and  leaves  the  oil  clear. 
But  when  a  certain  quantity  of  oil  of  apricots  is  present,  it 
emulsionizes  by  agitation,  and  on  standing,  the  unctious  com- 
pound of  oil  of  apricots  and  lime  is  deposited,  and  may  be  sepa- 
rated by  filtration.  This  unctious  matter,  which  is  neither  '  an 
oil  nor  a  soap,  is  fusible  in  the  water  bath,  and  becomes  a  limpid 
liquid,  which  concretes  on  cooling  ;  but  less  dense  than  water,  it 
floats  on  boiling  water  unchanged,  except  in  consistence.  It  is 
soluble  in  hot  oil,  but  on  cooling  it  separates  as  a  white  cloudi- 
ness, more  or  less  dense,  which  can  be  removed  by  filtration. 
This  unctious  compound  may  be  freed  from  any  excess  of  lime 
by  filtering  hot,  and  is  soluble  in  bisulphuret  of  carbon.  The 
following  is  the  author's  process  for  applying  the  test. 
Take  185  grains  of  the  suspected  oil  of  almonds,  and  agitate  it 
with  about  23  grains  of  hydrate  of  lime,  then  heat  it  at  a  tem- 
perature below  212°  F.,  filter  hot  in  a  heated  funnel.  By  cool- 
ing the  filtrate  by  ice  water,  the  oil  loses  its  transparence  if  oil  of 
apricots  was  present.  The  author  finds  olive  oil  and  oil  of  colza 
behave  like  oil  of  almonds ;  whilst  the  oils  of  hemp  seed,  poppy 
seed,  groundnuts,  walnuts  and  flaxseed  produce  more  or  less 
of  this  unctious  matter  in  the  presence  of  hydrate  of  lime  ;  cot- 
ton seed  oil  gives  but  very  little  ;  castor  oil  forms  a  thick  coagu- 
lum  almost  like  resin. 
The  author  believes  this  process  may  be  utilized  in  regard  to 
