— 28 — 



Oil of Copaiba. Utz 1 ) has made comparative experiments 

 with regard to the determination of the saponification number of 

 copaiba balsam by cold and hot process, and has found that in this 

 case, contrary to Peru balsam 2 ) the "saponification number cold" 

 frequently remains behind the "saponification number hot". With the 

 saponification number (cold) previously ascertained by K. Dieterich 3 ), 

 only those found with Angostura balsam agreed, whilst with Maracaibo 

 balsam and Para balsam, Utz obtained higher values. From this 

 Utz concludes that the balsams in question were adulterated. If he 

 also mentions that, according to Dieterich, among others gurjun 

 balsam also raises the saponification number, this is an error of 

 Dieterich' s, as gurjun balsam has a very low saponification number 

 (about 6 to 26), and could only have the effect of lowering, and 

 not raising, the saponification number of copaiba balsam. For the 

 rest, this also follows from the table 4 ) given by Dieterich under 

 Maracaibo balsam. — We would still mention that the sapon. nos. 

 of three copaiba balsams, determined by us some time ago by cold 

 process, were throughout somewhat higher than those found by hot 

 process. 5 ) 



L. van Itallie and C. H. Nieuwland 6 ) have again examined 

 Surinam copaiba balsam, without however, as the authors themselves 

 state, adding much to our knowledge of this drug. The separation 

 of the resin acids obtained by the usual method, by fractional pre- 

 cipitation or distillation, led to no result. The sesquiterpene alcohol 

 (m. p. 114 to 1 1 5 ) contained in the oil, which had already been 

 detected previously, gives a sesquiterpene with the following constants: 

 d 15 oo,952; n D15 o 1,5189; b. p. 252 (759 mm. pressure); « D —61,7°. 

 With regard to the colour-reaction of copaiba balsam with acetic anhydride 

 and sulphuric acid 7 ), the authors found with the samples which we had 

 placed at their disposal, that Para balsam gave a dark blue green, 

 subsequently dark blue violet, Bahia balsam a blue, and Angostura 

 balsam a dark-violet coloration, which is an additional proof that not 

 much reliance can be placed on colour-reactions. 



Coriander Oil, According to the information received, the 

 Russian coriander harvest has given excellent results, and an abundant 



x ) Apotheker-Ztg. 21 (1906), 205. 



2 ) In the case of Peru balsam, the sapon. nos. ascertained by cold process 

 were in every case higher (by about 3 to 22) than those determined by hot process, 

 which agrees with Dieterich' s observations. 



3 ) K. Dieterich, Analyse der Harze, Balsame und Gummiharze, pp. 55 and 99. 



4 ) Ibidem p. 63. 



5 ) Report April 1905, 32. 



6 ) Arch. derPharm. 244 (1906), 161. Ace. to Pharm. Weekblad 43 (1906), 

 389; comp. also Report April 1905, 25. 



7 ) loc. cit. 



