( -"^40 ) 



to the forniiila CjjH.jO.^ and on saponifleatiuii it yielded acetic acid 

 and an alcohol melting at J 92' — 198° having the formula CjoH^dO. 

 The benzoate from the alcohol melted at 229° — 23(P. 



It can hardly be doubted that Marek has been working with the 

 acetic ester of ,'i-amyrine. Fortunately, he has not given a name to 

 the product isolated l)y him, and hence, has not unnecessarily 

 increased the already existing confusion. 



Undoubtedh-, the enormous number of substances said to be obtained 

 from different resins and milky juices will, on closer investigation, 

 be reduced to a more modest number and it will often be shown 

 that pure substances described by different names are one and the 

 same, but could not be identified owing to incomplete description. 

 In other cases, names may have been given wrongly to mixtures or 

 impure substances. 



Although it may seem su peril uous, it is as well to again point 

 out how necessary it is, when investigating a natural product, to 

 purify the components as completely as possible, to fully describe 

 the properties and particularly to introduce no new names unless 

 one feels certain of really dealing with a new product. 



A short time ago, Tschirch ') communicated the results of an 

 investigation of the components of Balata. From this was isolated a 

 crystallised substance called «-balalbane melting at 231°, the analysiR 

 of which led to the formula C'j.H^jO., 



(found C 81.19 H 10.38. calculated C 81.32 11 10.64). 



No acids were found by Tschirch on saponification with alcoholic 

 potash as he only looked for crystallised acids ■). This made one of 

 us (C.) think that Balata might perliaps also contain acetic esters 

 and that the «-balalbane might be identical with /3-amyrine acetate. 



It was not difficult to isolate by Tschirch's method the product 

 melting at 231°. 



By repeated recrystallisation from acetone, the melting point rose 

 to 235°. On saponification, acetic acid was obtained, also an alcohol 

 melting at 195°. Ester and alcohol mixed, respectively, with /ï-amyrine 

 acetate and ^-amyrine gave no lowering of the melting point, so 

 that «-balalbane is nothing else but jJ-amyrine acetate ; the name 

 «-balalbane may, therefore, be sti'uck out. 



University Org. Chem. Lal>., I'trecltt. 



1) Ann. d. Pliarm. 243 (1905) S. 358. 



~) Tschirch comes to tlie conclusion tliat tlieie exist gutta perctias which yield 

 no clnnamic acid on Ireatnient with alcoliolic potaslr i)ut I have demonstrated 

 this fact previously (B B. 37 S. 34H4), (v. R.). 



