74 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



retort. The first product of the distillation is cinnamic acid nearly 

 pure ; the last products are rendered impure by empyreumatic oils ; 

 by dissolving, however, this impure acid in boiling distilled water 

 and filtering, the oil remains on the filter, and the filtered liquor is 

 filled with very white and perfectly pure crystals of cinnamic acid. 

 This is the most ready and least expensive process for obtaining this 

 acid in a state of absolute purity. 



The resinous, ductile, spongy matter containing the yellow opake 

 liquid in its pores, becomes when squeezed more and more compact, 

 and the yellow liquid flows from it ; this is to be filtered, the opera- 

 tion goes on very slowly, and the surface of the liquid readily 

 solidifies. By this means a brownish yellow oily matter is obtained, 

 which after some time becomes a stellar crystalline mass of impure 

 Btyracine. In order to purify it, it is dissolved in about ten times its 

 weight of alcohol at 122° F. ; the solution is poured off and subjected 

 to a low temperature. The styracine then crystallizes in very fine 

 white flexible needles. The compact resin from which the styracine 

 has been pressed becomes hard and brittle by cooling. It still retains 

 a considerable quantity of styracine, and it is advantageous to employ 

 it in the preparation of styracone ; there is thus obtained an additional 

 quantity of alkaline cinnamate, mixed with the resins; to eff^ect 

 this it is put into an alembic, with a concentrated solution of potash 

 or soda, and distillation is to be cautiously performed. A milky 

 liquid passes over, which when saturated with common salt yields 

 on its surface a creamy matter, which gradually unites into an 

 oily stratum ; it is to be removed, filtered, and rectified. There 

 is thus obtained a colourless liquid, which boils at about 490° F., 

 crystallizes at a low temperature, becomes solid at 46°, and has a 

 peculiar odour. It is styracone. In the alembic there remains a 

 blackish brown and very alkaline liquid, in which there float numer- 

 ous mammillated grains of a yellowish colour, consisting of a mixture 

 of cinnamate and resinate of soda. The liquor may be filtered in a 

 funnel containing broken glass ; the resinate is to be washed with a 

 little water, which, added to the alkaline liquor, may be employed 

 to decompose a fresh quantity of storax. When water is added to 

 the globules, a resinous matter is deposited, and the solution contains 

 much cinnamate and some resinate of soda ; the cinnamic acid and 

 the resin are to be precipitated by hydrochloric acid ; these two 

 substances are to be separated by boiling water or solution of am- 

 monia, which does not dissolve the resins. To obtain the latter in 

 a pure state they must be successively washed with acidulated and 

 ammoniacal water, and lastly with boiling water. The diff'erent 

 resins are separated by means of their diflferent solubility in alcohol, 

 sether, and pyroxylic spirit. They are hard and brittle, not readily 

 fusible, and but slightly coloured. 



Styracine is the most interesting substance contained in storax. It 

 may exist in two conditions : crystalline and fusible at 100° F., and 

 liquid, viscid and uncrystallizable. When pure crystals of styracine 

 have been melted, the liquid frequently does not solidify on cooling. 



Sometimes also on operating on storax, the styracine is obtained in 

 a liquid uncrystallizable state, especially when it has been left for 



