— 162 — 



was exposed to light from June 13., 1911 to November 13., 1911 in 

 5 bottles, each of 1 litre capacity, filled with oxygen. Each bottle con- 

 tained 15 grams cymene and 100 cc. water. When the bottles were 

 opened a considerable vacuum was found, which had been caused by the 

 consumption of oxygen. The reaction-liquid, which gave an acid reaction, 

 was found to contain p-cuminic acid (m. p. 119°), methovinyl benzoic acid 

 (m. p. 165°), and |>«-hydroxy^opropyl benzoic acid. Experiments carried 

 on in the dark showed no auto-oxidation. 



Pharmaco'physiological Notes. 



In a lecture by H. Emde 1 ) it is stated that the chemistry of the essential 

 oils affords many examples of Loew's well-known law that bodies with 

 double bonds are more poisonous than the corresponding saturated bodies. 

 For instance, the toxicity of allyl sulphocyanide is much greater than that 

 of the corresponding saturated compound. The influence of the position 

 of the double bond upon toxicity may also be seen in the safrol series. 

 Safrol, with its allyl-group, is considerably more poisonous than is iso- 

 safrol with the propenyl group in the side-chain. Chemically, the phenyl- 

 allyl compounds react much more readily than the corresponding propenyl 

 compounds; in the latter the double bond is conjugated with the double 

 bond of thd benzene nucleus; in the former it is not. 



Among the terpenic bodies, pulegone causes fatty degeneration of the 

 organs and phosphorism, while menthone, which is derived from the addition 

 of hydrogen! to the double bond of pulegone, is much less poisonous. Its 

 physiological action also is less pronounced than that of carvone, which 

 has a double bond in j the side-chain. 



It is also stated that the allyl ethers myristicine, apiol and 1-allyl- 

 2,3,4,5-tetramethoxy benzene, which possess a pronounced physiological 

 action, owe their toxicity in part to their unsaturated side-chain. 



H. Fuhner 2 ) has investigated the ratio of activity of the following uni- 

 valent alcohols, viz., methylalcohol, ethylalcohol, n-propylalcohol, n-butyl- 

 alcohol, w-amylalcohol, w-hexylalcohol, w-heptylalcohol and n-octylalcohol 

 upon erythrosites, sea-urchins' eggs, convoluta and phoxinus. 



PhytO'physiological Notes. 



The Atti R. Accad. del Lincei, Roma (5), 20 (1911), II. p. 349, of which 

 Sig. I. Giglioli 3 ) has kindly sent us a copy, contain an article from his 

 pen on the probable function of the essential oils and other volatile con- 



*) Apotheker Ztg. 26 (1911), 785. 



2 ) Zeitschrift fur Biologie 57 (1912), 465. From a reprint kindly sent to us. 



3 ) Quoted from Chem. Zentralbl. 1912, I. 271. 



