ON  THE  FAT  OF  MYMSTICA  OTOBA.  271 
this  compound  behaves  generally  like  a  mixture  of  iodide  of 
potassium  and  arsenite  of  potash.  Concentrated  sulphuric  acid 
throws  down  a  red  or  yellowish-red  precipitate  of  iodide  of  arsenic. 
Dilute  sulphuric  acid,  and  all  other  acids,  decompose  the  com- 
pound. If  a  current  of  carbonic  acid  be  passed  through  the  hot 
saturated  solution,  a  white  pulverulent  salt  separates,  the  analysis 
of  which  led  to  the  formula  KI,  HO+3As03 :— 
Found. 
,  1  ,  Calculated. 
KI  .  .  31-61  31-51  32-03 
AsO3  .  .  57-67  5743  57-17 
KO      .  8  43         .  .  9-07 
HO  .  .  .  .  1-73 
This  salt  has'an  alkaline  reaction,  and  when  heated  evolves  an 
abundance  of  arsenious  acid  with  aqueous  vapor  and  arsenic. — 
Chemical  Gazette,  from  Liebig's  Annalen.  p.  375. 
ON  THE  FAT  OF  MYRISTICA  OTOBA. 
By  E.  Uricoechea. 
The  author  has  investigated  the  fat  obtained  by  pressing  the 
fruit  of  the  Myristica  Otoba.  The  fruits-have  the  same  taste  as 
the  nutmeg.  It  is  employed  in  New  Grenada,  principally  as  an 
application  in  skin  diseases  of  horses. 
The  fat,  which  is  called  Otoba  in  New  Grenada,  is  not  quite 
colorless  ;  it  is  butyraceous,  and  when  fresh  smells  like  nutmeg. 
When  fusing,  it  evolves  a  peculiar  unpleasant  odor.  The  fat  melts 
at  100Q  F.,  whilst  the  fat  of  the  common  nutmeg  melts  at  124°  F. 
Alcohol  extracts  from  it  a  fat  identical  with  that  of  the  common 
nutmeg,  with  a  melting  point  of  115°  F.  On  saponification  it 
furnished  glycerine.  The  soap  was  dissolved  in  alcohol,  and  par- 
tially precipitated,  according  to  Heintz's  method,  with  acetate  of 
magnesia  ;  the  separate  precipitates  were  then  decomposed  by  mu- 
riatic acid,  the  fatty  acids  washed  with  water,  and  purified  by  re- 
crystallization  from  alcohol  The  acid  of  the  first  precipitate 
melted  at  94°.5  F.,  that  of  the  second  and  third  at  95°  4  F.-  They 
were  consequently  identical  with  myristic  acid,  the  melting  point 
of  which,  according  to  Heintz,  is  96°.8  F.  (94°  Playfair  .  The 
analysis  also  agrees  with  the  formula  C23H20O4. 
