230 ODOEOGKAPHIA. 



kilos of leaves of Barosma hetulina to distillation, 180 grams, of 

 essential oil (a little more than J per cent.) was obtained. On 

 exposing this oil in thin layers to spontaneous evaporation, crystals 

 of " Barosma camphor " make their appearance. To this substance 

 the name Diosplienol has been given, in allusion to " Diosma," the 

 original Linnean name bestowed on the Buchu plants. 



The crystals can be extracted from the essential oil by means of 

 caustic lye. The oil repeatedly shaken with an equal volume of 

 soda lye, sp. gr. 1-14, forms a yellowish turbid mixture, soon 

 separating into two clear layers (A and B). The heavier layer (A) 

 then displays a bright red colour ; it should be washed several 

 times with ether, in order to remove that portion of the oil which 

 is simply dissolved in, but not combined with the alkaline liquid. 

 One volume of the washed portion (A) is then dissolved in four 

 volumes of alcohol, sp. gr. 0-83, and neutralised with an acid, either 

 sulphuric, acetic or carbonic, when an oily layer separates. In a 

 couple of hours, or sooner, it concretes and affords a crystallised 

 mass of diosphenol. The upper lighter layer (B) on being 

 extracted repeatedly with warm water further affords a small 

 amount of diosphenol. The crude oil, as obtained from Barosma 

 hetulina, yields nearly one-fifth of its weight of the phenol. 



A mixture of one volume of alcohol 0*83, and five volumes of 

 ether, is a good solvent for re-crystallising the diosphenol ; by 

 gently warming the crude crystals with three times their weight 

 of the mixture, they dissolve, and on cooling afford pure crystals. 



The results of two elementary analyses of the crystals were as 

 follows : — 



I. — 0*2236 gram, of diosphenol gave CO., : 0"57o2 gram. = 



0-1569 C and OH^ : 01910 gram. = 0-0212 H. 



11. — 0-2236 gram, of diosphenol gave CO^ : 0-5758 gram. = 



0-1570 C and OH, : 0-1946 gram. = 0-0216 H. 



From these figures the formula Cj^^Hoo 0„ may be calculated, 

 thus : — 



Found. 

 I. II. 



14 C ... 168 ... 70-58 ... 70-17 per cent. ... 70-21 per cent. 

 22 H ... 22 ... 9-24 ... 9-48 „ ... 9-69 



3 ... 48 ... 20-18 



238 100-00 * 



* This result disagrees with that arrived at by Spica (Anier. Journ. Pharm., 



