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yield of the crop to which we have referred, a reduction of prices during 

 the winter is of course hardly to be expected. In California the present 

 year's crop of apricots and peaches appears to have been exceptionally 

 abundant, but in spite of this the price has only fallen to about 80 ctl. 

 For this reason the kernels in question are of no interest so far as our 

 industry is concerned; but owing to their fine appearance they are much 

 liked by the provision-dealers as a substitute for bitter almonds. Favourable 

 offers of Chinese and Japanese apricot kernels have been wanting of late. 



Ambergris. In the year 1820 Pelletier and Caventou obtained from 

 ambergris, by extracting it with alcohol, a body to which they gave the 

 name of ambraine. The analytical values of ambraine were not published 

 by Pelletier until 1832, when they were given as follows: carbon 81,74 p. c, 

 hydrogen 13,32 p. c, oxygen 4,94 p. c. Some time ago J. Riban 1 ) has in- 

 vestigated this body more closely. He had come into possession of a 

 small quantity of ambraine which, in the course of time, had separated out 

 from the alcoholic liquid in a bottle intended for extract of ambergris. The 

 substance, after being recrystallised from alcohol, melted between 82 and 

 86°. Combustion showed it to possess the formula C23H40O. Ambraine 

 constitutes an octobromo-substitution-product C 2 3H32Br 8 0. Heating with 

 phosphorus pentachloride on the water bath gave rise to a chloro- 

 substitutionproduct C23H35 Cl 5 O. Attempts to estimate the molecular weight 

 of ambraine by the cryoscopic method remained without result. 



Benzoin, Siam. We recently received a fresh supply of the finest 

 quality, rich in aroma, and were thus in a position to reduce our price 

 somewhat. We regard the present range of prices as favourable, for there 

 is always a brisk demand for really first-class benzoin, and the quality 

 supplied by us invariably meets with so much favour that our stocks as 

 a rule do not last long. 



Benzoin, Sumatra. We always keep a full stock of Sumatra benzoin 

 in large almonds, suitable for perfumery purposes, and which we can 

 recommend. We desire to remind our customers of this fact, as the 

 prices are now favourable. 



Benzyl Acetate, free from chlorine (98 to 100 p. c). This article ^ 

 has fallen a victim to extreme price-cutting, which will probably before 

 long bring about the ruin of this very serviceable preparation. A few 

 firms have made it their business to place upon the market qualities which 

 completely discredit this useful perfume. Such cheap qualities should be 

 carefully tested before use, especially because the percentage-proportion 

 guaranteed by the manufacturers has repeatedly been found not to corre- 



!) Compt. rend. 154 (1912), 1729. 



