— 162 



of resin, from which was isolated a white body crystallising in small 

 needles, m. p. 96 (from methyl alcohol) and possessing the constitution 

 of di-methyl zso-eugenol. This body, however, does not appear to be 

 identical with the dimethyl z><? - eugenol , m. p. 106 , which has been 

 described by Szeki 1 ) and by Francesconi and Puxeddu 2 ). These 

 examples show once more that the propenyl - group is more readily 

 affected than the ally 1 - group and also more readily shows symptoms 

 of polymerism. • 



Benrath's experiments 3 ) have shown that benzaldehyde, when af- 

 fected by light, adds itself to many bodies. The authors therefore made 

 experiments with benzaldehyde and safrol and tso-saiiol. These showed 

 that after a year's exposure to light the two isomerides had yielded 

 the same additive product. The safrol had changed into a re- 

 sinous mass which, after repeated boiling with alcohol, assumed the 

 form of a sparingly soluble powder, m. p. 150 to 180 . The analysis 

 agreed with C 17 H 16 3 (= C 7 H 6 O-}-C 10 H 10 O 2 ). The resinous mass 

 which had been formed from the &0-safrol, when purified from methyl 

 alcohol melted between 170 and 180 . Its analysis also agreed with 

 the formula of the additive product C 17 H 16 3 . 



In 1 89 1 G. de Varda 4 ) published a paper in which he described 

 a body which he had obtained from anethol by the action of the 

 sun's rays. This body, which was regarded by de Varda as a poly- 

 meride of anethol, was called by him "photo -anethol". Recently 

 P. Hoering and K. P. Gralert 5 ) have succeeded in showing that de 

 Varda's photo-anethol is not a polymeride of anethol, but di-p-methoxy 

 stilbene. The authors repeated de Varda's experiments by exposing 

 anethol (b. p. 113,5° at 14 mm.) for 10 months in sealed glasses 

 to the influence of sunlight. At the close of the experiment the 

 anethol had become yellow, and boiled at 108 to in° (13 mm.) 

 leaving a slight proportion of a viscous residue from which a crystal- 

 line body was obtained which, when purified with ether and recrystal- 

 lised from benzene, melted at 208 to 210 . The yield was 0,18 g. 

 from 200 g. anethol. The alcohol which had been distilled off was 

 again exposed to light, and again yielded 0,42 g. of the same crystal- 

 line body. This substance, •the photo-anethol of de Varda, is spar- 

 ingly soluble in most solvents. Recrystallised from hot benzene or glacial 

 acetic acid it forms brilliant small flaky crystals, melting between 214 

 and 2 1 5 (corr.) and showing a blue fluorescence, both in the solid 



*) Berl. Berichte 39 (1906), 2422. 



2 ) Gazz. chim. ital. 39, I. (1 909), 202. 



3 ) Journ. f. prakt. Chem. II. 78 (1906), 383. 



4 ) Gazz. chim. ital. 21 (1891), 183. 



5 ) Berl. Berichte 42 (1909), 1204. 



