— 127 



/CO 

 obtained by reduction from camphor quinone C 8 H 14 <^ I , and like- 

 wise borneol, do not show the action. In borneol, the carbonyl-group 

 of camphor is converted in the alcohol-group. 



i. CH, CH CH, 2. CH 2 CH CH 2 



CH 



I 



C Hg ' C ' C Hg 



l 



CH, C 



CO 



GHg-C-CHg 



I 



CH, C 



CHOH 



CH 3 

 Camphor 



3. CH 2 CH CH-COOH 4. CH 



CH 3 



Borneol 



I 

 CH .C-CH Q 



-CO 



CH 2 C 



CH 3 

 Camphocarboxylic acid 



CH COOH 



I 



CH 3 .C.CH 3 

 I 

 CH 2 C —COOH 



CHg 



Camphoric acid 



In camphocarboxylic acid (3), formed from camphor by the intro- 

 duction of a carboxyl - group, the specific camphor -action is annulled. 

 With regard to the action of camphoric acid (4), obtained from camphor 

 by oxidation with nitric acid, the results of new researches by J. Fuji tan i 1 ) 

 have been published : it is just without those actions which are character- 

 istic of the substances of the camphor -group, namely the paralysing 

 action on the motoric nerve terminations and the spinal cord in frogs, 

 and the irritating action on the convulsion - centre of warm-blooded 

 animals; on the frog's heart, camphoric acid had rather an enfeebling 

 action. The actions which it has in common with some substances 

 of the camphor - group , are those on the respiratory centre, the 

 peripheric vessels, and the heart of warm-blooded animals (Fujitani). 



It was thought that the peculiar action of camphor was connected 

 with the propylidene group inserted into the ring, w r hich leads to the 

 formation of a double-ring. But the behaviour of thujone, which agrees 

 fairly well with that of camphor, shows that this assumption is un- 

 founded. The reference to fenchone, in which a position of the 

 methyl -group differing from that in camphor was assumed, does not 

 alter this. The action of fenchone does not agree at all with that of 

 camphor 2 ). Wallach 3 ) has designated his formula indicated at the 

 time for fenchone, as a provisional one. 



x ) Arch, internat. de Pharmacodyn. 16 (1906), 273. 



*) R. Matzel, Arch, internat. de Pharmacodyn. 24 (1906). 



') Liebig's Annalen 353 (1Q07), 209. 



