- 64 - 



in esters of terpene alcohols, methyl ester of anthranilic acid, and total 

 alcohols takes place. The relation between the quantities of esterified 

 alcohols and of total alcohols increases, from which it may be con- 

 cluded that the ester-formation in the blossom continues, though only 

 slowly. It is here, however, less complete than in the leaf and stalk. 

 The geraniol - content increases, but that of linalool diminishes. The 

 consequence of this is, that the mixture of alcohols becomes richer in 

 geraniol. After the blossom is unfolded no pronounced differences 

 between the essential oil of the leaves of the flower and that of the 

 other blossom organs can be detected; the former only contains a 

 somewhat larger quantity of methyl ester of anthranilic acid than 

 the latter. 



Nigella Oil. H. Pommerehne 1 ) and O. Keller 2 ) communi- 

 cate some further results of their examination of damascenine. The 

 former, on oxidising damascenine hydrochloride with barium perman- 

 ganate, obtained in addition to oxalic acid, also volatile bases con- 

 sisting of ammonia and methyl amine; he further found that when 

 damascenine is heated with baryta water, it shows the same behaviour 

 as when boiled with more strongly alkaline liquids. This base, namely, 

 as we have already shown, is converted quantitatively during boiling 

 with alcoholic potash into a beautifully, crystallising amido acid which, 

 according toPommerehne's examination, is isomeric with damascenine, 

 and is also formed from the latter on treatment with sodium carbonate 3 ). 



O. Keller has occupied himself with a closer examination of this 

 acid, to which provisionally the name damascenine-S has been given. 

 Damascenine-S crystallises from water in rhombic prisms with three 

 molecules water of crystallisation. The crystals which effloresce rather 

 quickly when exposed to the air, melt at 7 8°, and in alcoholic solution 

 show a beautiful blue fluorescence. Dried at 90 , the anhydrous acid 

 melts at 143 to 144 . 



From the analysis the formula C 9 H u N 3 -|- 3 H 2 O is calculated. 



When the molecular weight was determined, the figures obtained 

 corresponded to the values calculated for the above formula. When 

 bromine acts on damascenine, the hydrobromate of dibromdamas- 

 cenine is formed, which proves the presence of a double-linking in 

 damascenine. This double-linking is also present in the conversion- 

 product of the bases, damascenine-S, for the dibromide C 9 H 11 Br 2 N0 3 

 was also obtained from the latter. By boiling with acetic acid anhydride 

 Keller had produced from damascenine a monoacetyl product of 



1 ) Arch, der Pharm. 242 (1904), 295. 



2 ) Arch, der Pharm. 242 (1904), 299. 



3 ) Report October 1899, 40. Pommerehne, Arch, der Pharm. 238 

 (1900), 546. 



