— 2 4 — 



We next turned our attention to the already known cypress 

 v camphor which forms an important constituent of the oil. It is 

 chiefly present in the portions distilling above 135 (5 mm. pressure), 

 from which it crystallises out in long needles, partly spontane-ously 

 and partly by application of the agents mentioned above. In con- 

 sequence of its great capability of crystallising, which is a property 

 of most "camphors", its production in the pure state does not offer 

 any further difficulties. At the same time, it has to be recrystallised 

 5 to 6 times from dilute alcohol, and to be purified twice from 

 petroleum ether, in order to obtain the compound absolutely odour- 

 less. With regard to the chemical nature of this body, it had up to 

 now been taken for a sesquiterpene alcohol. With a view to deciding 

 this question according to its constitution, we have analysed it, deter- 

 mined its molecular weight, and tested it for its behaviour towards 

 water- abstracting agents, and we have thereby found that it actually 

 is a sesquiterpene alcohol of the formula C 15 H 26 0. The product 

 worked up by us was odourless, optically inactive, and melted readily at 

 86° to 87 , that is to say i° higher than according to previous 

 statements 1 ). It distilled not very constant at 290 at 292 . 



0,1635 gm. of the substance: 0,4863 gm. C0 2 , 0,1726 gm. H 2 0. 

 Found: Calculated for C 15 H 26 0: 



C 81,1 1% 81,0.8% 



H 11,73% ii,7i%. 



The molecular weight, determined according to the boiling method 

 of Beckmann in benzene solution, was found to be 210,7 an< ^ 235,3 

 (calculated 222). 



Strong formic acid converted the body with loss of water quanti- 

 tatively in a hydrocarbon C 15 H 24 . For this purpose we shook 50 gm. 

 of the camphor with three times the quantity of 99 to 100 per cent, 

 formic acid until solid camphor was no longer present. The hydro- 

 carbon was driven over with water-vapour and distilled over sodium. 

 Its physical constants were as follows: 



boiling point 2 64 ; d i5 o 0,9367; Md+94°3'; n L>20° M979 8 - 

 Elementary analysis showed that the product is a hydrocarbon 



^15^24' 



0,1470 gm. of the substance: 0,4731 gm. C0 2 , 0,1552 gm. H 2 0. 

 Found Calculated for C 15 H 24 



C 87,78 o/ 88,23% 



H ii,73% n.76%- 



1 ) Report October 1897, 12, note. Comp. Gildemeister and Hoffmann, 

 "The Volatile Oils", page 269. 



