M. H. Bleibtreu on Cumarine. 481 



Many experiments have been made for the purpose of sepa- 

 rating and investigating the volatile substance contained in 

 the * Woodruff/ to which the * Maiwein 5 owed its agreeable 

 odour and flavour. 



Many years ago Voget * occupied himself with this sub- 

 ject, and obtained from the * Woodruff ' a crystalline sub- 

 stance, which he described as possessing the same odour as 

 the Tonka bean and Melilotus, and which his experiments 

 proved to be benzoic acid. 



More lately Kosmann f has published some experiments, 

 which led him to the conclusion that the principle contained 

 in this plant was cumarine, the stearoptine of Tonka beans. 

 By treating the dried plant with alcohol and aether, driving 

 off these solvents and boiling the syrupy residue in water, 

 and evaporating, he obtained a crystalline mass, whose agree- 

 able odour and piquant taste were exactly similar to cumarine 

 prepared from the Tonka beans. 



The experiments of Kosmann were however purely qua- 

 litative. No analysis was made of the crystals obtained from 

 the Woodruff, which alone could determine the point; nor 

 was the experiment tried as to the ready transformation of 

 cumarine into salicylic acid, so easily recognised by its action 

 with the salts of the sesquioxide of iron, and from which a 

 tolerable conclusion could have been drawn. 



It hence appeared to me desirable to establish by a more 

 exact investigation the observations of Kosmann. 



The following experiments instituted for this purpose, and 

 including a revision of the investigation of cumarine by Dela- 

 lande, were commenced in the laboratory of my friend Pro- 

 fessor A. W. Hofmann in Bonn, and finished in that of the 

 Royal College of Chemistry in London, to which I accom- 

 panied him in the capacity of assistant on his election as 

 Professor to the latter. 



I have much pleasure in embracing this opportunity to 

 express my thanks to Dr. Hofmann for his instructions in 

 organic investigations generally, and more particularly for his 

 assistance in the present memoir. 



Investigation of the Crystals from Asperala odorata. 



For the preparation of this substance I proceeded in the 

 following manner : — 



A quantity of Woodruff, collected shortly before and 



* Generalberickt des Konig. Preus. Rhehi. Medlcinalcol. Uber das Jahr 

 1835. Coblenz bei Kehr, page 240. 



f Journ. de Pharm., 3 ser. t. v. p. 393. Ann, der Chem. u. Pharm., 

 vol. Hi. p. 387. 



