58 Report of Schimmel § Co. 1921. 



for this product 1 ), altogether used to exclude its application as a substitute for camphor. 

 Since, however, the ordinary camphor has risen to more than ten times its price, the 

 industry of Ngai camphor may have a future. 



Bromostyrene. — A bromostyrene, submitted to us for our examination, proves 

 once more how careful one should be with so-called "priceworthy" products. We 

 tabulate its properties found and those of a technically-pure bromostyrene: — 



Sample Pure bromostyrene 



d 15o 1.5015 1.41 to 1.43 



Solubility in 90 per cent, alcohol 5 vol. and more 4 to 5 vol. 



Solidification point did not solidify +0° to — 2.5° 



even at —20° (cooled down to — 7°). 



It will at once be seen that the preparation was altogether of inferior quality. 

 The specific gravity is far too high, and the characteristic property of bromostyrene, 

 to freeze at 0° or a little below, is missing. 



The examination did not reveal any indication of an aulteration. The product seemed 

 merely to be highly impure, which is just as unpleasant, of course, for the consumer. 

 It need hardly be said that the inferior quality was likewise obvious in the odour. 



Camphor. — The Japanese export figures for the year 1920 being now available 

 we give a comparative table of the weights and values of the last three years: — 



1918 1919 1920 



kin kin kin 



British India . . . 361179 67521 395728 



Great Britain . '. 383911 175317 133859 



France 90904 146222 28583 



United States ........ 595622 1569506 294007 



Australia 94946 2026 28322 



Other countries . . . . . . 238155 70688 153063 



kin 1764217 2031280 1033567 



value in yen 3686375 7883875 4965350 



An article by E. Witte 2 ) discusses the patent literature on the synthesis of camphor. 

 The author briefly reviews the processes by means of which pinene has been con- 

 verted into camphor via pinene hydrochloride, camphene, isobornylester, and isoborneol, 

 and he gives at the same time a detailed table, classified in groups, of all the patents 

 concerning the synthesis of camphor. 



In experiments made on rabbits H. E. Sigerist 3 ) came to the conclusion that the 

 chronic application of camphor did not do any harm to the heart of the normal animal. 

 The muscles of the left and right ventricle seemed even to be able to adapt themselves 

 to increased efforts. This result of Sigerist has been confirmed by Th. Zangger 4 ) in 

 the treatment of chronic myocarditis. Within the last ten years he has treated some 

 hundred patients with spirits of camphor applied internally, two or three times daily, 

 in doses of ten to fifteen drops. 





*) According to M. Rondot "Etude Pratique du Commerce d'Exportation de la Chine", Paris 1848, the 

 pikul (133Vs lbs.) of Formosan camphor was, in 1848, valued at 25 $, of Japanese camphor at 30 $, of Ngai 

 camphor at 250 / and of Borneo camphor at 1000 /. — 2 ) Chem. Ztg. 45 (1921), 118. — 8 ) Korrespondenz- 

 blatt f. Schiveizer Arzte 47 (1917), 1748. — *) Ibidem 47 (1917), 1752. 



