fl4 ' ' Drs. Blyth and Hofmanu ofi Styrole, 



lfii"§U^fii6lbn of the presence of benzole we found to be also 

 ^I'rect. The body described by Herzo*^ under the name of 

 cninamole was evidently benzole mixed with traces of othet 

 materials. The boiling-point and specific gravity given by 

 him are in themselves sufficient evidence. By distilling a 

 considerable portion of cinnamic acid with lime we easily ob- 

 tained proof of this identity in the following manner: — Tht 

 rectified product was submitted again to an interrupted distil- 

 lation. The oil which passes over under 100° C. was col- 

 lected by itself, and after treatment with fuming nitric acid, 

 was then exposed to the action of a reducing agent. Aniline 

 was thus obtained, which is easily recognised by its charac- 

 -teristic properties. 



f^Tt was probable that the poition of fluid which boils at a 

 higher temperature contained cinnamole. We endeavoured 

 by interrupted distillations to separate it, but could not obtain 

 any liquid having a constant boiling-point. The thermometer 

 rose at last above 200°. The portion distilled at 1 40° formed 

 with bromine a white crystalline mass, which in appearance 

 Atid smell possessed the most striking similarity to bromo- 

 styrole. This crystalline compound was probably biomocin- 

 7iamolef as no styrole could be supposed to exist in it, no trace 

 of residue being left in repeated distillations. 

 ^-""^ Cinnamole obtained, according to Gerhardt and Cahours* 

 <^j>lan, by distilling cinnamic acid with baryta, proved, after rec- 

 tification, a colourless fluid, which in point of smell was very 

 similar to styrole, though the former was rather more agree- 

 able than the latter. With bromine it forms a crystalline 

 compound having very much the appearance of bromostyrole. 

 Unfortunately a sufficient quantity was not obtained to deter- 

 mine the boiling-point. ''^^ i^^JBDim/n nnoH 



As a further point of cyrt1|SftHs6h, a portion of the prhdtict 

 (prepared from lime and cinnamic acid), distilled at 140°, was 

 sealed up in a strong tube. Another tube was filled with the 

 oil made according to the plan of Gerhardt and Cahours, and 

 several others with styrole. All these tubes were placed in an 

 oil-bath heated to 200° C. After half an hour the bath was 

 allowed to cool and the tubes removed, when the styrole was 

 found to have become solid, whilst the substances prepared 

 from cinnamic acid by lime and baryta had lost nothing of 

 ^ their fluidity. 



'^^ This experiment appears at first sight to negative the idea 

 «'6f the identity of the two substances. When, however, it is 

 consideretl that the product obtained on distilling cinnamic 

 acid and lime ccmtains other bodies besides cinnamole, and 

 that the substance prepared from biiryta and the s^me acid 



