- i6 3 - 



state and in solution. Combustion, the determination of the molecular 

 weight, as well as comparison with the body prepared synthetically by 

 Fritsch' and Wiechell's method 1 ), showed that "photo-anethol" is really 

 di-p-methoxy stilbene. 



For purposes of further identification, the dibromide compound, a 

 body which crystallises out from benzene in short needles (m. p. 178 ), 

 was prepared. The authors are of opinion that it is probable that 

 di-p-methoxy stilbene is formed from anisic aldehyde, which is well 

 known to form readily from anethol when it is left exposed to light 

 and air 2 ). 



Pharmaco- physiological Notes. 



A few years ago we reported upon a paper by R. Robert 3 ) on 

 the therapeutic value of essential oils. The same subject is treated 

 by L. Mazuyer 4 ) in an article which contains nothing novel, and of 

 which it is therefore sufficient merely to record the appearance. 



L. Lutz and G. Oudin 5 ) have examined crystallised apiol, oil of 

 parsley, French, Austrian and German apiolin (?), myristicin, yellow and 

 green liquid apiol (?), and the products of the fractionated distillation 

 of oil of parsley, of French apiolin and of the green liquid apiol for 

 their physiological action. They arrived at the following conclusions: 

 The toxicity of the constituents of parsley seed is greater in the case 

 of intra-peritoneal than in that of intra-muscular injection. It stands 

 in proportion to the volatility of the products. The therapeutical 

 action of liquid apiol (?) cannot be ascribed merely to the presence 

 of crystalline apiol. The paper further discusses the anti-spasmodic 

 and emmenagogue action which belongs to all constituents of parsley, 

 with the exception of myristicin. 



As a counterpart to Rosenthaler's work 6 ) on asymmetric decom- 

 position by enzymes which was mentioned in our last Report, we may 

 here refer to a recently published article by P. Mayer 7 ) on asymmetric 

 syntheses. Mayer deals with the separation of 1 - c a m p h e r o 1 (*. e. camphor 

 combining with glycuronic acid) after internal administration of i-camphor 

 to dogs. We have already mentioned 8 ) that in the animal organism 





1 ) Liebig's Annalen 279 (1894), 341. 



2 ) Comp. Report October 1904, 42. 



3 ) Report October 1903, 109. 



4 ) Journ. de la Parfumerie et Savonnerie 22 (1909), 74. 



5 ) Bull. d. Sciences Pharmacol. 16 (1909), 68. From Chem. Zentralbl. 1909, 



1254. 



6 ) Biochemische Zeitschrift 1908, 238; Report April 1909, 17. 



7 ) Biochemische Zeitschrift 1908, 439. From a copy kindly sent to us. 



8 ) Report April 1902, 83. 



