144 BURSERACE^. 



Bruckner (1867) found this portion to yield 75'6 ipev cent, of carbon and 

 9 "5 of hydrogen. The resin which the bisulphide refuses to dissolve, is 

 freely soluble in ether. It contains only 57'4 per cent, of carbon. The 

 resin of myrrh to which^ when moistened with alcohol^ a small quantity 

 of concentrated nitric or hydrochloric acid is added, assumes a violet 

 hue, but far less brilliant than that displayed by resin of galhanum 

 when treated in a similar manner. But a most intensely violet liquid 

 may be obtained by adding bromine to the resin dissolved in bisulphide 

 of carbon. If the resin of myrrh as afforded by alcohol is warmexl 

 with petroleum (boiling at 70"" C)., only a small amount of resin is 

 dissolved. This liquid becomes turbid if vapours of bromine are 

 added ; a violet flocculent matter deposits^ whereas the just above- 

 mentioned solution in the bisulphide continues clear on addition of 

 bromine. 



The resin of myvxh is not capable of affording umbelliferone like 

 that of galbanum. By melting it with potash, pyrocatechin and pro- 

 tocatcchuic acid are produced in small amount. 



^ lljTYh yields on distillation a volatile oil which in operating on 

 25 lb. of the drug, we obtained to the extent of f per cent.' It is a 

 yellowish, rather viscid liquid, neutral to litmus, having a powerful 

 odour of mp-rh and sp. gr. 0-988 at 13° C In a column 50 mm. long, 

 it deviates a ray of light SOI" to the left. By submitting it to dis- 

 tillation, we obtained before the oil boiled, a few drops of a strongly acifl 

 liquid having the smell of formic acid. Neutralized with ammonia, this 

 liquid produced in solution of mercurous nitrate a whitish precipitate 

 which speedily darkened, thus indicating formic acid, which is -^J^- 

 veloped m the oil. Old myrrh is in fact said to yield an acid distillate. 

 The od begins to boil at about 266° C, and chiefly distills over between 

 270°and290^ 



On combustion in the usual way it aflforded carbon 84-70, hydrogen 

 9-98. Having been again rectified in a current of dry carbonic acid, « 

 had a boiling point of 262-263° C, and now afforded ' carbon 84^fi^' 

 hydrogen 10-26, which would nearly answer to the formula C'ti- '^^ 

 The results of Ruickholdt's analysis (1845) of essential oil of mF[^ 

 assign It the formula C'"H'^0, which is widely different from that indi- 

 cated by our experiments. 



^ The oil which we rectified displays a faintly greenish hue ; it ^^ 

 miscib e m every proportion with bisulphide of carbon, the _ solutio^i 

 exhibiting at first no peculiar coloration when a drop of nitric or sui 

 phunc acid is added. Yet the mixture to which nitric acid (1-2^) /'^ 

 been added, assumes after an hour or two a fine violet hue whicn l 

 very persistent, enduring even if the liquid is allowed to dry up in 

 large ^ capsule. If to the crude oil dissolved in bisulphide of cai ^on 

 bromme be added, a violet hue is produced ; and if the solution 

 «li7 . ^ evaporate, and the residue diluted with spirit of ^vme, i 

 assumes a fuie blue which disappears on addition of an alkali, in 



of an acitlnn w ,?'^"'* P*^*"*^®"*- heavier than water. . mhoivatory 



by Mr. Fritzscte o^T — ^^ ^'^^^^^^ ' ^^^^y^<^^ performed ^^^'%^^,Jo n^y 



mel & Co 1 S^n f ^'"'S ^,^^'^''^'- S*^!"'"- by Dr. Biiri, Febi-uary, 1874. bee a 



large scSe lieuF^f ""l"^^ ^''^'^^^^ «» ^ P^er on Cancel, Pharm. /'^"'-"•/'iy 51- 



