- STYRAX LIQUIDUS. 273 



sufficient quantity has been collected. It is then boiled with waf^r in 

 a large copper, by which process the resin is separated, so that it can be 

 skimmed off. This seems to be performed with sea water; some 



chloride o£ sodium can therefore 



druu. The 



boiled bark is put into hair bags and squeezed under a rude lever, hot 

 water being added to assist in the separation of the resin, or as it is 

 termed yagh, i.e. oil. Maltass states that the bark is pressed in the 

 first instance per se, and afterwards treated with hot water. I 

 the products obtained are the opaque, grey, semi-fluid resin known as 

 Liquid Storax, and the fragrant cakes of foliaceous, brown bark, 

 once common ^ but now rare in European pharmacy, called Cortex 



case 



Tlivmiamatis, 



M. Felix Sahut of Montpell 



fine 



his property at the neighbouring village of Lattes. The bark which is 

 covered with a very thick corky layer and soaked in its own fragrant 

 resin, shows no tendency to exfoliate. The invest 



gations 01 Unger m 



'His 



scales off, like that of the plane, by continued exfoliation, which is not 



M 



Description — Liquid Storax is a soft viscid resin, usually of the 

 comistence of honey, heavier than water, opaque and greyish brown. 

 It always contains water, which by long standing rises to the surface. 

 In one sample that had been kept more than 20 years, the resin at the 

 bottom of the bottle formed a transparent layer of a pale golden brown. 

 ^^^len liquid storax is heated, it becomes by the loss of water dark 

 brown and transparent, the solid impurities settling to the bottom. 

 Spread out in a very thin layer, it partially dries, but does not wholly 



lose its stickiness, 

 dissol 



reddens 



dissolves in alcohol, spirit of wine, chloroform, ether, glacial acetic acid, 

 bisulphide of carbon, and most of the essential oils, but not in the most 

 volatile part of petroleum ("petroleum ether"). It ha3 a pleasant 

 balsamic smell, especially after it has been long kept ; when recent, it 

 ^ contaminated with an odour of bitumen or naphtalian that is far 



oin a.rjreeable. 



bumin 



^^hen the opaque resin is subjected to microscopic examination, 



transparent 



be dis- 



tinguished. In polarized light, numerous minute crystalline fragments 

 ^ith a few larger tabular crystals are obvious. But when thin layers 

 ^t.the resin are left on the object glass in a warm place, feathery or 

 spicular crystals (styracin) shoot out on the edge of the clear liquid, 

 ^bile in the large, sharply-defined drops above mentioned, rectangular 

 ^bles and short prisms rcinnamic acid) make their appearance. On 



applying more warmth after the water is evaporated, all the substances 



"i^ite into a transparent, dark-brown, thick liquid, which exhibits no 

 om-„i_ii- .1 . - ■■ i- _ Among 



frequently observable. 



"-^w into a transparent, dark-brown, thick liquid, wmcn c> 

 ^lystallnie structure on cooling, or only after a very long time. 

 f tragments of the bark occurring in the crude resin, liber 



metl-It ^^ ^*^^* tlie "Cortex Olibnni" ^ Unger u. K< 



Dor^^ }'^ *^^ *^"ff of 1571, in Fliickiger, Wien, 18C5. 410. 

 '^'^mmezur Geschkhte der Phnrmach, 26. 



lem 



S 



