BY JOSEPH liAUTEEER, M.D. 25 



does not precipitate solution of glue, and behaves itself similar to 

 tbe tannin of the Peruvian bark." 



I determined the percentage of the tannin by the Loewenthal 

 process and found the bark to contain not more than 4*57 per 

 cent, of tannin, stained green by ferric acetate and precipitating 

 energetically solutions of glue (gelatin) and albumen By dry 

 distillation it yields only catechol stained green with ferrous 

 sulphate and brown with lime water. By boiling with diluted 

 hydrochloric acid it yields a phlobephene (cinnamon-red) which 

 is soluble in alcohol and which precipitates also the gelatine. It 

 is identical with the tannin of the Camphor Laurel but has 

 nothing to do with the tannin of the Peruvian bark as the 

 following reactions will show : — 



Cinchona (Bark). Cinnamomum Oliveei (Bark) 



Antimon-tartar ; White precipitate No precipitate. Precipitate only on 



addition of sal ammoniac 



Copper Sulphate : No precipitate Slight precipitate 

 on addition of Ammonia : 



Brown precipitate Indian Red precipitate 



Lime-water ; Clouding, soluble in ex- Light clouding, insoluble in excess ; 



cess (catechu soluble in excess) 



Ammon. molybdate in nitric acid : 



White precipitate Slight clouding, soluble in excess 



Sodium Sulphide : Yellow Slight reddening 



Ura7i. Acetate : Slight darkening Browned precipitate 



6. The essential oil of Cinnamomum Oliveri was obtained 

 by Staiger through extraction with ether, which after evaporation 

 left the oil behind. Staiger states that the bark contains " about " 

 2 per cent, of oil, and Maiden says that a ton of the dry bark 

 yields 770 ozs. of essential oil. These figures were of course got 

 by multiplication of the experiment made on a very small scale 

 and so the error was multiplied by hundreds. I found good bark 

 to contain much less oil than the Sassafras bark of North 

 America contains. From 10 pounds of bark I got (by a very 

 exact process to be described another time) not more than one 

 drachm of essential oil, and I am quite certain that it never will 

 pay even the expense to distil the essential oil out of the bark 

 for commercial purposes. The average bark contains *' about" 

 2 pro mille of the essential oil. 



