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which have lately been heard in the United States, discusses Tiemann's 

 first ionone patent of 1893 as well as those of 1896 and 1897 (U.S.A. 

 Patents). He points out that as far back as the year 1897, that 

 is to say before Tiemann's publication on the subject of the existence 

 of a- and /?-ionone in ordinary ionone 1 ), the firm of Chuit, Naef & Co., 

 of Geneva, had brought into commerce an ionone which differed 

 somewhat from Tiemann's. 



Irone. For the synthesis of this body see Orris Oil, p. 83. 



Menthol see Peppermint Oil, Japanese, p. 98. 



Musk, Tonquin. No recent information has come to hand 

 concerning this article, the only news with regard to the coming season 

 being that slightly lower prices are probable. In our next Report we 

 will again be in a position to give detailed particulars on the course 

 of the market, and to include statistical information as to the exports, 

 which up to the present is not available. 



Myrocarpus Balsam. This article is one of the obsolete bal- 

 sam of medieval pharmacopoeias. E. Schaer 2 ) has had under examination 

 a sample of it which had been handed down in a family. A com- 

 parison of the properties of this sample with the statements of an- 

 cient writers on Natural History confirms his surmise that the article 

 is identical with Cabureiba Balsam, which was described by the Dutch 

 physician Willem Piso about the middle of the 17 th century in his 

 "Historia naturalis Brasiliae" IV. 5, 57, and also with that called 

 "Baume du Perou en coques" by Gibourt in his "Histoire naturelle des 

 drogues simples" '. From the two species M. fastigiatus Allem. and 

 M. frondosus Allem. of the Myrocarpus family, which are natives of 

 Central Brazil, there exudes, either naturally or as the result of incision, 

 a balsam which is caught up in the hollowed-out, walnut-sized fruits 

 of certain palms or myrtacese. After the contents have been left to dry 

 for several days, the receptacle is closed with vegetable wax. The 

 balsam itself is reddish brown, and apart from its viscous consistency 

 it showed great similarity to Peru and Tolu balsam in its appearance 

 and odour, as well as in its other properties. Among its constituents 

 Schaer found both free benzoic acid, and benzoic acid in . combination 

 with aromatic alcohols. On the other hand, neither cinnamic acid 

 nor vanillin could be definitely determined as such. 



A sample of balsam which was sent to us a long time ago may 

 also be a Myrocarpus balsam, as all the details given by Schaer agree 

 precisely with our sample, which was moreover also contained in a 

 fruit the size of a walnut, and sealed with wax. 



*) Berl. Berichte 31 (1898), 867. 



2 ) Arch, der Pharm. 247 (1909), 176. 



