— 49 — 



A depression of the melting point of a mixture of the foregoing 

 sesquiterpene alcohol and cedar camphor was not observed. From 

 these results it could already be concluded that the two bodies were 

 identical. A further proof in support of this was the identical behaviour 

 of the two substances towards phenyl isocyanate. In both cases a 

 phenyl urethane of the m. p. 106 to 107 was obtained, although only 

 when the reagent was heated to its boiling point. Our previous l ) sta- 

 tement that cedar camphor does not form a phenyl urethane with 

 phenyl isocyanate is therefore incorrect. The derivative crystallises 

 very well from dilute alcohol in brilliant prisms of the above melt- 

 ing point. 



Elementary analysis of the phenyl urethane: — 



0,1529 g. subst: 0,4315 g. C0 2 , o,i2Q9g. H 2 0. 

 Found Calculated for C 22 H 31 N0 2 



C 76,97% 7742% 



H 9,44% 9,09% 



Towards strong formic acid the sesquiterpene alcohol also behaved 

 exactly as cedrol. The hydrocarbon thereby formed corresponded 

 in its physical properties entirely with cedrene. After distillation 

 over sodium, the following was found for it: b. p. 260 to 26 1° 

 (752 mm. pressure); « D — 95 46'; d 15 o 0,9368; ^20° 1,49807. 

 Whether cedrol is a normal constituent of Smyrna origanum oil, .or 

 whether it has been introduced by adulteration with cedar oil, is a 

 question which we cannot answer. The latter is not exactly improbable, 

 as Smyrna origanum oil, as we were recently able to detect, is adul- 

 terated in the coarsest manner. 



From the "Pharmazeutische Zeitung" 2 ) we abstract the following 

 paragraph with reference to the physiological action of oil of Cretian 

 origanum: A man who used Oleum origani cretici (1 -[- 2 spir. vim) 

 as a remedy against toothache, and carelessly swallowed the oil, was 

 attacked on two succeeding days by tetanus which lasted 6 hours 

 each time. According to experiments made by Kobert 3 ) jointly 

 with B. Ktissner, carvacrol, the principal constituent of the oil, when 

 administered to man in medicinal doses, has no injurious effect, apart 

 from local symptoms of irritation of the mucous membranes. Yet 

 Balz 3 ) observed already after small doses, in some individuals, buzzing 

 in the ear, headache, severe delirium and even collapse with symptoms 

 of paralysis, and somnolence. Large doses administered to 

 animals have a paralysing action without previous central 



*) Report October 1904, 24. 



*) Pharm. Ztg. 51 (1906), 481. 



3 ) Kobert, Lehrbuch der Intoxikationen, 1904, Vol. II, p. 132. 



