— 109 — 



only add that, in agreement with the position of the crude material, 

 the prices of safrol may very shortly experience a further reduction. 

 We would also once more call attention to the fact, that according 

 to official information from the German Consul at Kobe 1 ), the manu- 

 facture of safrol in Japan itself has now been finally given up. 

 Competition from that quarter is therefore no longer to be expected. 



Tannothymal. Previous researches by Hildebrandt 2 ) had 

 shown that in benzyloxy piperidines the intensity of the (piperidine) action 

 depends upon the structure of the benzene ring which by means of 

 the methylene group is linked to the piperidine ring. The strongest 

 action was shown by those derivatives in which, starting from the 

 phenolic hydroxyl group, either the one ortho - position , or the para- 

 position, or finally the two meta - positions adjacent to the methylene 

 group, were unoccupied. 



These observations led Hildebrandt 3 ) to bring, instead of 

 piperidine, a substance of known therapeutic value, i. e. tannin, in 

 reaction with phenols and formaldehyde. In this manner it would 

 be possible to arrive at remedies which could be used as astringents 

 in the place of tannin, without possessing the latter's disagreeable 

 properties (nauseous taste, and an action incommoding the stomach 

 by precipitation of albumin). If the alcoholic solution of the com- 

 ponents phenol, formaldehyde, and tannin is allowed, with stirring, to 

 flow 7 into concentrated hydrochloric acid as condensing agent, conden- 

 sation takes place in this manner, that a hydrogen atom each of the 

 phenol and tannin nuclei separate out with the oxygen of formaldehyde, 

 with formation of water. In this way a large number of monohydroxyl 

 phenols were condensed, including such which contain, in addition to 

 a free hydroxyl, one or two "masked" i. e. alkylated hydroxyls. It is 

 in each case possible to remove by washing with water the hydro- 

 chloric acid adhering to the condensation products, and to obtain well- 

 pulverising substances. In their physiological examination it was found 

 above all, that all those products whose phenol -rest contains one or 

 more masked hydroxyls, such as the deiivatives of guaiacol, eugenol, 

 pyrogallol dimethyl ether, etc., not only develop no astringent tannin 

 action, but on the contrary have an irritating effect on the intestinal 

 canal. The taste of these products with the alkyloxy group is 

 characterised by a disagreeable burning sensation. On the other hand, 

 those derivatives which — like phenol itself — carry no further groups 



*) See p. 20. 



2 ) Arch. f. exper. Pharmakolog. 44 (1900), 278; Zeitschr. f. physiol. Chem. 

 43 (1904), 248; Liebig's Annalen 344 (1906), 298. 



3 ) Arch. f. exper. Pharmakolog. 56 (1907), 410; Munch, mediz. Wochenschr, 

 54 (1907), 1219. 



