160 J. C. Marquart's Report of the Progress of Phytochemistry 



a substance which has much resemblance to SidpJw-sina- 

 jrisin. 



Bitter almonds and the leaves of the common laurel, from 

 which is obtained an aethereal oil containing a great quantity 

 of prussic acid, but which does not exist as such in the plants, 

 exhibit similar characters. This part of phytochemistry has 

 received, by Liebig and Wohler's discovery of organic radi- 

 cals, a direction the influence of which on many doctrines of 

 physiology we have yet to await. We will here only mention 

 as an instance the recent experiments of M. Winckler* on 

 the products by distillation of bitter almonds and the leaves of 

 the common laurel, and briefly remark that the aethereal oil of 

 these bodies is a combination of benzoyl (the radical consist- 

 ing of C 14 H 5 2 ) with hydrogen; at the same time with this 

 benzoyl hydruretted an evolution of a cyan-benzoyl takes 

 place on distillation, which is the cause of the oil of bitter 

 almonds containing prussic acid, and which may be separated 

 from it. Proctorf found an oil similar to the oil of bitter 

 almonds in the bark of Prunus virginiana. 



M. PagenstecherJ extracted from the flowers of Spircea 

 Ulmaria a very remarkable aethereal oil, heavier than water, 

 of a yellow colour, and of a peculiar smell similar to prussic 

 acid. Its peculiar constitution is evident from the property 

 of its spirituous solution, which becomes of a cherry-red co- 

 lour when mixed with chloride of iron. Caustic alkalies form 

 with it yellow combinations, in consequence of a peculiar acid 

 which accompanies the oil, and by which it is connected 

 with valerian oil, cinnamon oil, and the heavy oil of pinks. 

 M. Lowig§ examined the oil further, and regards it as the 

 combination ofspiroil (a radical of C 12 H 10 4 ) with 2 M. G. 

 hydrogen, but the spiroilic acid as the combination of spiroil 

 with 4 M. G. oxygen. The Spircea oil solidifies at —20° and 

 boils at +85°. 



Several aethereal oils were prepared and closely examined ; 

 one from the fruit of Coriandrum sativum by TrommsdorfF|| ; 

 it was colourless, and the spec. grav. was 0*859. M. Bleylf 

 analysed the plant, flowers, and fruit of Achillea nobilis. The 

 aethereal oils from the plant and the seeds were alike, of spec, 

 grav. 0*970, and of a butter-like consistence ; that however 

 from the flowers was of a thin liquid consistence, and spec. 



• Buchn. Repert., vol. Hi. p. 289. f Journ. de Chim. Med. 1834. 



I Buchn. Repert., vol. ix. p. 337- 



$ PoggendorfTs Annalen, vol. xxvi. p. 383 ; and Scientific Memoirs, 

 vol. i. p. 153. 



|| Archiv fur die Pharmacie, ii. p. 113. 

 % Archiv fur die Pharmacie, vol. i. ii. mil . 



