150 BURSERACE^. 



If the essential oil of elemi (8 parts) is shaken with alcohol, O'SIG 

 sp. gn (2 parts), nitric acid, 1"2 sp. gr. (1 part) and water (5 parts), the 



mixture, on exposure to air in a shallow capsule soon yields large 

 crystals, which vs^ere found to agree crystallographically^ perfectly with 

 terpin, C^'WV + OH^ from oil of turpentine. 



Maujean/a French pharinacien, examined Manila elemi as long ago 

 as 1821 and proved it to contain two resins, the one soluble in cold, the 

 other only in hot spirit of wine. The former, which appears to consti- 

 tute by far the prevailing part of all varieties of elemi, has not yet been 

 satisfactorily examined. Bonastre' a little latter made a more complete 

 analysis, showing that the less soluble resin which he obtained to the 

 extent of 25 per cent, is easily crystallizable, and apparently identical 

 with a substance obtainable in a similar manner from what he regarded 

 as true elemi, which the Manila resin was not then held to be. Baup 

 (1851) gave it the name of Amyrin. According to our experiments, it 

 is readily isolated to the extent of 20 per cent, when Manila elemi is 

 treated with cold spirit of wine, in which the crystals of amyrin are 

 but slightly soluble. If the elemi is pure, the amyrin may be thus 

 obtained (by washing with spirit and pressure between bibulous paper) 

 m a cake of snowy whiteness, which may be further purified by crystal- 

 lization from boiling alcohol. The fusing point of the crystals is 177 C-i 

 their composition has been ascertained by Buri' to agree with the 

 formula (J-'WO, which may be written thus : (C^ff / OH^. Amynn at 

 16 C. dissolves in 27-5 parts of alcohol 0-816 sp. gr., being readU} 

 soluble also m all the usual solvents for resins. The alcoholic solution 

 IS shghtly dextrogyre. Amyrin is a neutral substance, and may be 

 sublimed m small quantities by very carefully heating it. , 



By heatmg amyrin with zinc dust Ciamician* obtained chiefly toiuoi, 

 methyl-ethyl-benzol and ethyl-naphtalin. ,, . 



J^y allowing an alcoholic solution of the amorphous resin of Manna 

 eleniie to evaporate, Baup obtained in very small quantity crysta s o 

 Breme, a substance fusing at 187° C, which he considered to be distinct 

 Irom amyrin. In our opinion it was impure amyrin ; it is extremel} 

 difhcult, or rather practically impossible to extract all the crystallizab e 

 resm irom the amornhnnc: tp+v,^ i„ii f„„ii,. +^or.a,^nrfint. is m^^ 



O 



XV.X .cv^idi years, an elegant crystallization at last b 

 appearance throughout the bulk of the resin. , , ,,, 



Baup further extracted from Manila elemi a crystallizable substance 

 soluble in water to which he gave the name of Bry oidin ;^ ^nd insmaUe- 

 quantity a second also soluble in water which he called ^''f '^Jj, , 

 i rom the experiments of Baup it appears that bryoidin is soluble in ^o 

 parts of water at 10° C, and melts at 135° C: whereas bre^idine requ | 

 ov 'loo °C ^^^ ^'^'^^ ""^ ""^^^^ ""''^ ^"''' ^^ '' temperature not ©ucn 



obtained 



(t 



_^ Examined at my request by Prof. Groth. « j ^tn indehtecl for a specimen of ^J^e 



•■t Jojirn ,J„ r>j ■ . material that Baup Morkecl upon .-v 



' iTTltuuT.- '''• (1S23) 45. 47. he called liesln of Arbol a brea t« YV-F- 



*ptm it, '^•- MO. pharmacicnofNyoD,Swit.erland-l-^^,,3 



wiJi^VS S77"o/''''^ '''' '''' ■^ From the Gre'ek^.^-;nall^^^^^^^^ 



^ BerichL /iJ:. j.\ moss-like aspect sometimes assuror 



8 Fllickiger, Pharm. Join 



