The investigations contained in this paper were undertaken with the view of ascertaining the nature of the action of sulphur in the free state on organic substances. The author endeavoured, in the first instance, to examine the action of that agent upon some of the simpler organic compounds, but without obtaining any definite results; and finally confined his experiments entirely to the fixed oils.

The distillation of oil of almonds with sulphur, which is attended by the violent evolution of sulphuretted hydrogen, afforded a peculiar nauseous oil, and a crystalline product deposited on cooling from the latter portions of the oil. In order to ascertain the source of these products, comparative experiments were made with pure stearic and oleic acids. It was thus found, that stearic acid, when distilled with sulphur, gave products identical with those obtained by its simple distillation, but that oleic acid gave an oily fluid and crystals similar to those produced from the crude oil.