MUSK. 399 



last-named substitute for musk has disappeared from commerce as 

 a result of the law-suit between the makers of the ' Musk Baur ' 

 and those of ' Tonquinol.' We are persuaded that this regret is 

 echoed by many perfumers who have been accustomed to use 

 Tonquinol." 



A still more recent (October, 1893) and even more emphatic 

 opinion, has been given by the same firm as follows : — " In 

 consequence of numerous complaints with regard to the unequal 

 condition of the artificial musk, which we have received, we have 

 more closely investigated the chemical properties of this prepara- 

 tion. Even in the preliminary examination we have failed to 

 recognise several properties ascribed by Baur* to tri-nitrobutyl- 

 toluol (which is the chemical name for the preparation which he 

 desires to be known commercially as 'Musk-Baur') and were 

 therefore led to suspect that the commercial article could not be 

 regarded as a uniform body, a suspicion which was proved to be 

 correct by the chemical examination, of which we give details 

 below. The ' artificial musk ' examined by us had a melting 

 point of 108^, and was fairly soluble in hot water, but only very 

 slightly in petroleum-ether. On the other hand the melting-point 

 of tri-nitrobutyl-toluol (according to Baur) is 96^ to 97^, it is not 

 soluble in water but dissolves easily in petroleum-ether. The 

 process of our examination was as follows : — 



"A fairly large sample of artificial musk, taken from a 10-gramme 

 packet, was exhausted about 20 times with boiling petroleum-ether, 

 in order to remove the tri-nitrobutyl-toluol present. The residue 

 was dried, and six or eight times re-crystallised from hot water 

 This treatment resulted in the recovery of a nitrogenous body,* 

 separating from concentrated solutions in beautiful, thin scales, 

 detachable like those of mother of pearl. From diluted solutions 

 this body was recoverable in large fiat L'rystals, occasionally 

 reaching a length of l-i inch (3 cm.) by 4- inch (J cm.). In 

 contrast to the original body, which possessed the well-known 

 characteristic, penetrating and lingering odour of artificial musk, 

 the recovered product was ahsolutcly odourless. Its melting point 

 was 111° to 113°. Upon heating these crystals with strong 

 potash solution, a distinct odour of aniline was generated, and the 

 subsequent addition to the alkaline solution of a few drops of 



* Ber. Deutsch. Chem. Ges., xxiv., 2836. 



