1/2 Proceedings Columbia Biochemical Association [Sept. 



alkalin liquid imderneath, which was colorless. By spontaneous 

 evaporation, the ether extract yielded a purplish-red oily product, 

 vvith a pronounced thymol odor. 



When a small quantity of thymol (Kahlbaum) was mixed with 

 lO per Cent, ammonium hydroxid Solution, the liquid became green- 

 ish in about 2 hours ; then gradually turned blue. Alcohol appeared 

 to accelerate the transformation. Shaken with ether, the blue was 

 wholly removed and a beautiful, red, ether-layer obtained. Such 

 ether extracts yielded, by spontaneous evaporation, a purplish-red 

 oily product, which dissolved readily in ether, toluene and alcohol, 

 the Solutions being bright red. In some cases the oily product be- 

 came crystalline, due apparently to the presence of unchanged thy- 

 mol ( ?). The red alcoholic Solution was turned deeply bluish by a 

 drop of n/io sodium hydroxid Solution; the red was restored by a 

 drop of w/io hydrochloric acid Solution. These transformations 

 could be elicited repeatedly in the same Solution. The changes were 

 so sharp that the material may prove to be a valuable indicator for 

 use in the titration of alcoholic liquids. Concentrated alcoholic Solu- 

 tions yielded reddish white precipitates when they were diluted with 

 water — a ready means of isolating the substance. The reddish 

 white precipitate dissolved promptly in alcohol, ether and toluene, 

 and formed a red Solution in each case. 



An excess of thymol, added to a green or blue ammoniacal Solu- 

 tion in its original condition, completely changed the green or blue 

 to red, and wholly dissolved the red material, behaving, in this 

 respect, like toluene and ether. 



These phenomena did not appear to be due to impurities in the 

 thymol. A general survey of thymol literature has not revealed 

 the explanation of these results, although certain inferences are sug- 

 gested by several color reactions of thymol. 



The chemical nature of the colored substances derived from 

 thymol in these preliminary experiments, the possible Utility of the 

 products — their probable antiseptic, pharmacologic and other rela- 

 tionships, suggest numerous interesting biochemical inquiries which 

 will be undertaken in the near future. 



24. A convenient method of preparing starch that swells 

 rapidly in water. William J. Gies. For the purpose of study- 



