299 



new ether ; so that the authors have devoted their attention mainly 

 to the working out of the chemical relations of this substance. 



Acetate of sycoceryl, having very characteristic properties, could 

 be readily obtained in beautiful crystals ; but some difficulty oc- 

 curred in obtaining it absolutely pure, on account of the presence 

 of a parasitical body which accompanied it constantly in solution, and 

 always crystallized upon it. At last means were found of removing 

 the latter substance by dissolving out the acetate of sycoceryl with 

 ether. The per-centage composition of this parasitical body was 

 found to be 



Carbon 76'56 



Hydrogen 12'30 



Oxygen 11-24 



but it existed in too small a quantity to admit of its true chemical 

 relations being made out. 



Acetate of sycoceryl gave on analysis the following per-centages as 

 the mean result of two accordant analyses : 



Carbon 79*09 



Hydrogen 10-28 



Oxygen 10'63 



These numbers agree well with those required by the formula 

 C 40 H 32 O 4 based upon experimental evidence. 



Acetate of sycoceryl, when acted upon by sodium-alcohol, yielded 

 acetic acid and a beautiful crystalline body resembling caffeine or 

 asbestos ; this proved to be a new member of the benzylic alcohol 

 series having the composition C 36 H 30 O 2 , which requires the following 

 per-centage quantities : 



Mean of two analyses. 



Carbon 82-44 82-39 



Hydrogen 11-45 11-38 



Oxygen 6-11 6-23 



The authors, by acting with chloride of benzoyl on sycocerylic 

 alcohol, obtained the corresponding benzoate of sycoceryl ; and by 

 employing chloride of othyl (acetyle), have prepared the acetate of 

 sycoceryl which was identical with the original crystalline constituent 

 of the resin. 



By treating sycocerylic alcohol with nitric acid, an acid was pro- 

 cured which appears to be sycocerylic acid. 



VOL. x. y 



