322 UMBELLIFER^. 



of Galbanum which cost 16s., 1 lb. of Sagapenum (S era2nn) oiihe same 

 time costing only 2s.' In common with other products of the East, 

 these drugs used to reach England by way of Venice, and are mentioned 

 among the exports of that city to London in 1503.2 



^ An edict of Henry III of France promulgated in 1581, gives the 

 prices per lb. of the gum resins of the UmhelUfercG as follows :— Opopa- 

 nax, 32 sols, Sagapenum 22 sols, Asafoetida 15 sols, Galbanum 10 sols, 

 Ammoniacum 6 sols 6 deniers."^ 



^ Description— Galbanum is met with in drops or tears, adhering 

 inter se into a mass, usually compact and hard, but sometimes found so 

 soft as to be fluid The tears are of the size of a lentil to that of a 

 hazel-nut, translucent, and of various shades of light brown, yellowish 

 or faintly greenish. The drug has a peculiar, not unpleasant, aromatic 

 odour, and a disagreeable, bitter, alliaceous taste. 



In one variety, the tears are dull and waxy, of a light yellowish 

 tmt when fresh, but becoming of an orange brown by keeping; they are 

 but little disposed to run together, and are sometimes quite dry and 

 loose, with an odour that somewhat reminds one of savine. In recent 

 importations of this form of galbanum, we have noticed a considerable 

 admixture of thm transverse slices of the root of the plant, an inch or 

 more m diameter. 



Chemical Composition— Galbanum contains volatile oil, resin and 

 mucilage. The first, of which 7 per cent, may be obtained by distillation 

 with water, is a colourless or slightly yellowish liquid, partly consisting 

 oi a hydrocarbon, C"H«, boiling at from 170= to 180°. This oil affords 

 easily crystals of terpin, C"ff«+3 0ff, if it is treated as mentioned in 



PWB'"j!wn? T ^^J^P^^^^i it'^Iso affords the crystallized compound 

 il^ + Y • . ^^ ^^^ prevailing part of oil of galbanum consists of 

 hydrocarbons of a much higher boiling point. The crude oil has a 



X ricfr^ ^''^^''' '^'''^ '^e^^ates the ray of polarized light to 



flrn?? ''^^''^' '^i'"^^ ^^ ^""^ *« constitute about 60 per cent, of the 

 in ^.'.-1^ T^.^°f\and dissolves in ether or in alkaline liquids, even 

 hJaMf. ' I"."* ^""^^ partially in bisulphide of carbon. When 



Stlv '''"'n.i?^? ^^ ^^^^ C- ^^*h hydrochloric acid, it yields 

 mSnf )f ^r ^^ ?/ '""^''^ "^^y ^^ dissolved from the acid liquid by 



kss till «!• chloroform ; it is obtained on evaporation in colour- 



olutin?! VK-P^^^"- . ^"ibelliferone is soluble in hot water; its 

 ?uortc..no v\''P''^^^^ °^ ^dd^^^^" of an alkali, a brilliant blue 

 -Xanur^ t "^ '^ '' destroyed by an acid. If a small fragment of 

 duced Wn I'^^T'"^ '''•^f^""' *^« fluorescence is immediately pi^- 

 Stida nof L ir^r^"- ^^^ «^^^ phenomenon takes place with 

 umbdSnn. n ^ ^ ^r^' ^/"moniacum ; it is probably due to traces of 

 mbellitcrone pre-existing in the former dru-s By boiling the umhel- 



^ /?o,-.. da FraZ (iSoofi ^4^'"^^''' beautifully shown by dipping some bibu 



inuat be multipired bv ^ IfoS ' ~^^'\V^'<^^% loua paper into water which has stood for . 



present value. ^ ^ ^"^ ^ive a notaon of an hour or two on lumps of galbanum, and 



;Pasi, Tarija de P,.: ^ m- at- . drying it, A strip of this paper placeum 



1521. 204 (l8t edition r50-i>^"''' ^'"'*- * *««* tube of water with a drop of am- 



^Fontanon, EdlTs' et nl 7. . "^O"^'-^' ^'iU 8^^'^ a superb blue soluton 



Ji<^sde France, ii. (15^) g^^^'^"'*"" ^e. des instantly losing its colour on the addition 



ihis property of umbeUiferone may be ""^ ^ ^^"""^ ^^ hydrochloric acid. 



