OLIBANUM. 139 



altered miic]i in form, but it becomes of an almost pure opaque 

 wliite. In the first case the water dissolves the gum, while in the 

 second the alcohol* removes the resin. We find that pure olibanum 

 treated with spirit of wine leaves 27 to 35 of gum/ which forms a 

 thick mucilage with three parts of water. Dissolved in 5 parts of water 

 it yields a neutral solution, which is precipitated by perchloride of iron 

 as well as by silicate of sodium, but not by neutral acetate of lead. It 

 is consequently a gum of the same class as gum arable, if not identical 

 with it. Its solution contains the same amount of lime as gum 

 arabic affords. 



The resin of olibanum 



(1867) 



according to whom it is a uniform substance having the composition 

 C H^^O^. We find that it is not soluble in alkalis, nor have we suc- 

 ceeded in converting it into a crystalline body by the action of dilute 

 alcohol. It is not uniformly distributed throughout the tears ; if they 

 are broken after having been acted upon by dilute alcohol, it now and 

 then happens that a clear stratification is perceptible, showing a con- 

 centric arrangement. 



OUbanum contains an essential oil, of which Braconnot (1808) 

 obtained 5 per cent., Stenhouse (1840) 4 per cent., and Kurbatow 

 (1871-1874) 7 per cent. According to Stenhouse it has a sp. gr. of 

 O-SGG, a boiling point of 179-4° 0.,and an odour resembli] ^ 

 pentme but more agreeable. Kurbatow separated this oil into two 

 portions, the one of which has the formula C'B}', boils at 158° 0., and 

 combmes with HCl to form crystals ; the other contains oxygen. The 

 oitter principle of olibanum forms an amorphous brown mass. 



The resin of olibanum submitted to destructive distillation affords no 

 umbelhferone. Heated with stroncr nitric acid it develops no peculiar 



'to 



colour, but at length camphretic acid (see Camphor) is formed, which 

 J^ay be also obtained from many resins and essential oils if submitted 

 ^0 the same oxidizinir a^rent. 



Commerce 



coast 



quantity produced in this district is much below that furnished by the 

 g^ah Country in Eastern Africa. The latter is brought to Zeyla, 

 Jj^rbera, Bunder Murayah, and many smaller ports, whence it is 

 ^^ipped to Aden or direct to Bombay. The trade is chiefly in the 

 anas of Banians, and the great emporium for the drug is Bombay. A 

 J^rtam portion is shipped through the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb to 

 7 ;-r^^^ Kremer2 says to the value of £12,000 annually. The 

 of V ? ^^^Ported from Bombay in the year 1872-73 wa.s 25,100 cwt., 



0^4^"^!^,^^'^^^ ^^^'t. were shipped to the United Kingdom, and 6,184 

 ^^t. to China.' 



£ j.^.^^S"-^ a medicine olibanum is nearly obsolete, at least in 

 inil^\ ^^^ ^^^^ consumption of the drug is for the incense used 

 ^^e Koman Catholic and Greek Churches. 



finest iT^^^^^^^i. ^^'^* P^^ <^«iit. from the ^ Aeqypien, Forscliungen uhcr Land inid 



^dowi^If u J^^^ ^^^^ <^alled Fasous Volk, Leipzig, 1863. 



Capt w,, . '^^^^'i I was presented by ^ Statement of the Trade and Naviqaiion 



^ • hunter of Adeiu-F. A.F. of the Presidemy of Bombay for 1872-73, 



pt. ii. 78» 



