112 THE ANALYST. AN EASY AND RAPID METHOD OF I!JANIPULATING “FATTY ACIDS.” By A. WYNTER BLYTH, F.C.S. Read bgore the Society of P&ic Analysts, at Plymouth, 17th August, 1877. I USE an apparatus, the principle of which has long been known t o chemists, and indeed a small flask similar to the one I am about to describe is Agured in ( I Mohr’s Toxicologie,” being there recommended as convenient for the separation of the alkaloids by solvents.My flask is between 300 and 400 C.C. capacity, its neck is rather long and narrow, and is furnished with an accurately fitting stopper, through which two tubes pass, one provided with a stop cock to let out the liquid, and therefore, of course, terminating on a level with the inferior surface of the stopper, the other to let in the air, prolonged to nearly the bottom of the fiask, and externally bent syphon-like. * If any serious discoloration ensues, the basin should be heated on the water-bath for an hour or two to destroy foreign matters.The sohition is then treated with water, filtered, again rendered alkaline, shaken with ether, the etherial layer evaporated to dryness and the residue reheated with acid,THE ANALYST.113 The fat is saponified in the flask, and the soap decomposed in the usual way, when this is effected, the stopper is inserted, and the flask is turned upside down and kept in that position during the entire washing process. Directly the whole of the fat has risen t o the surfage, the lower liquid is run off, whilst hot or cold water is introduced by opening the stopper under the water, and simultaneously sucking at the syphon. Thus a11 waiting for the fat to cool is discarded, any reasonable quantity of water can be rapidly used to thoroughly wash the fatty acids, and a filter is not required.