Chemical Preparations and Drugs. 121 



Vanillin. In view of the prevailing depression in price and the bitterness of the 

 competition, there is probably no one who derives any particular satisfaction from 

 trading in this article, the more so because the raw material has recently become 

 dearer and dearer. We make it a practice to abstain from competing whenever we 

 are unable to secure at any rate a very modest profit. In the year 1890 the price of 

 vanillin was 800 o<M\ in 1900 it was 100 cM per kilo. Tempi passati! 



In the flowers of G-ymnadenia albida, Rich. (N. O. Orchidacece), collected at Davos, 

 E. O. von Lippmann 1 ) has detected the presence of vanillin. The flowers have a pronounced 

 odour of vanilla, von Lippmann cut the already faded flowers into small pieces, in 

 the course of which manipulation the aroma given off was perceptibly increased, perhaps 

 as a result of the splitting-up of a glucoside. He then extracted the substance with 

 alcohol and ether and dried the solution after precipitating it with sugar of lead. An 

 ointment-like substance of the most exquisite aroma remained behind, from which 

 vanillin (m. p. 82°) was isolated. The vanillin, when dissolved with ferric chloride, 

 assumed a beautiful blue colour and yielded the characteristic barium compound 

 (C 8 H,0 3 ) 2 Ba. 



l ) Berl. Berichte 45 (1912), 3432. 



