Chemical investigation of the New England horse chestnut, aesculus hippocastanum

Summary The analysis of the oil from the American species of Aesculus hippocastanum shows the oil to be similar to the European species. The constants reported by Stillesen (11) and Kaufmann and Baltes (6) are of the same order of magnitude as found in this investigation. The same is true of the fatty acid content except in the case of linolenic. European (6) investigators report 2.2% linolenic, and the American species contains only a trace. The oil of the horse chestnut, Aesculus hippocastanum , is of the non‐drying type. The approximate percentage composition of the fatty acids of this oil has been found to be stearic, 2.1; palmitic, 4.8; oleic, 65.3; linoleic, 20.2; and a trace of linolenic.