and some of the Products of its decomposition. 103 



in the distillation ordinary nitric acid, we obtained indeed the 

 peculiar substance named by him nitrostyrole, but in quantity 

 bearing no proportion to the amount of oil employed. The 

 oil is very slowly attacked by common nitric acid. On heat- 

 ing the mixture to boiling the styrole becomes of a yellow 

 colour, but at the same time a large quantity of undecomposed 

 yellowish oil distils over. Only after being five or six times 

 poured back into the retort does it begin to change its cha- 

 racter, by becoming heavier, more tenacious, and finally sink- 

 ing to the bottom of the vessel. At this period the oil-drops 

 which pass over with the water smell no longer of styrole, but 

 possess a peculiar sharp odour of cinnamon, and violently 

 attack the eyes. If the st3'role has become quite brown and 

 sunk to the bottom, it solidifies on the cooling of the retort into 

 a resinous mass. The watery fluid above the resin, on the 

 other hand, deposits a quantity of crystalline plates. On re- 

 moving the crystals from the retort, washing the resin with 

 water to free it from the nitric acid, and again heating to 

 boiling the resin with water, the greater portion becomes 

 dissolved, and there distils over a volatile matter possessing 

 in the highest degree the odour of cinnamon. After a short 

 time these oil-drops solidify in the retort. On allowing the 

 retort to cool when no more of this substance passes over, the 

 whole fluid becomes a crystalline mass. By long-continued 

 distillation, a portion of this crystalline matter, which is, how- 

 ever, much less volatile than the nitrostyrole, also passes over 

 into the receiver. 



As already stated, the quantity of the volatile oil obtained 

 was exceedingly small. Only after repeated operations, and 

 at the sacrifice of several ounces of styrole, was a quantity pre- 

 pared sufficient for analysis. It was separated by filtration 

 from the fluid which distilled over with it, and after washing 

 with water, which dissolves but a small proportion, again di- 

 stilled with the vapour of water, and finally dissolved in boil- 

 ing alcohol. On cooling, large beautiful prisms* crystallized 

 from the solution, j)ossessing the characteristic odour of cin- 

 namon, and a sweet but highly burning taste. 



The following results were obtained on combustion with 

 oxide of copper, after the substance had been dried over sul- 

 phuric acid for several days : — 



I. 0*2662 grm. of the crystals gave 0*6250 grm. of carbonic 

 acid and 0*1190 grm. of water. 



II. 0*1630 grm. of crystals gave 0*3885 grm, of carbonic 

 acid and 0*0790 grm. of water. 



* In the memoir of Simon exact measurements of these crystals are 

 ^ven from G. Rose. 



