Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 73 



According to M. Plantaraour, there are besides formed under these 

 circumstances cinnamic aether and a new acid, the carbo-benzoic. 



M. Kopp states that his researches confirm the results of M. Frdmy, 

 but not those of M. Plantamour. 



Storax has been examined with much care by M. Simon of Berlin, 

 who found an essential oil in it, styrol, a crystalline body, styracine, 

 cinnamic acid and several resins. He stated that styracine is trans- 

 formed by potash into cinnamic acid and liquid styracone. 



These results are quite exact, only the author has not assigned 

 the true composition to the isolated bodies. 



The author observes that he has already shown that styrol is iden- 

 tical with cinnamen or cinnamol (C'<^ H***), which is obtained by the 

 dry distillation of cinnamate of copper, or of a mixture of cinnamic 

 acid and caustic barytas. M. Kopp's researches also prove that 

 great analogy of composition exists between storax and balsam of 

 Peru. 



Styracine, which may exist either in the amorphous or viscous 

 state, or crystallized, is identical in the former condition with cinna- 

 mein, and in the second with metacinnamein. Its formula is C* 

 jjis 02. Peruven is identical with styracone, its formula being 

 C ' H^^ O. The transformation of styracine into cinnamic acid and 

 styracone under the influence of caustic potash, is expressed by the 

 following equation : — 



C18 H>8 02 + H20 = C9H« 02-I-C9 H'2 O. 

 Styracine. Cinnamic acid. Styracone, 



Styracine then possesses strong resemblance to neutral fatty mat- 

 ters, which, under the influence of alkalies, are converted with the 

 absorption of an atom of water into fatty acids and glycerine. 



As storax is the most readily treated and least expensive of these 

 diff'erent bodies, the author selected it for his experiments. 



The first operation is to distil the storax with five or six times its 

 weight of water, in a copper alembic furnished with a refrigeratory. 

 An oil floats on the condensed water, which is to be poured off^, dried 

 by chloride of calcium, and distilled at 290° F. ; it is then cinnamen 

 or pure cinnamol. It is not advantageous to employ in the distilla- 

 tion water containing carbonate of soda in solution, for it causes the 

 mass to rise too readily and afterwards to run over. The residue 

 of the distillation is boiled with a weak solution of carbonate of soda, 

 which removes the free cinnamic acid, and cinnamate of soda is 

 formed which remains in solution. This operation is to be repeated 

 many times, till at last, especially when the mixture cools, it becomes 

 more and more spongy, and retains in its interstices a viscid, yellow- 

 ish oily matter. The watery liquids containing the cinnamate of 

 soda and a slight excess of carbonate, and also a little resinate of 

 soda, are to be much concentrated, and then decomposed with excess 

 of boiling hydrochloric acid. The greater portion of the impure 

 cinnamic acid is deposited in the liquor in a concentrated state in 

 the form of a heavy brown oil, which solidifies on cooling, and the 

 aqueous liquid is filled with crystals of cinnamic acid. The resinous 

 matter is to be removed, and the crystals, after being strongly pressed 

 and washed with a little cold water, are to be distilled from a glass 



