62 Report of Schimmel § Co. 1921. 





In analysing a so-called pure sample of civet J. Niviere 1 ) observed the following: — 

 83.6 per cent, of the substance were soluble in cold benzene, 57.01 per cent, in cold 

 96 per cent, alcohol. In the portion which was insoluble in alcohol cholesterol was 

 detected by means of the Liebermann reaction. The portion soluble in alcohol had 

 the constants: — acid v. 106.3; ester v. 22.1; sap. v. 128.4; it contained most probably, 

 to judge by the smell, caproic and caprylic acids, a hydroxy-acid (m. p. 70°) of the 

 character of lanopalminic acid, volatile bases smelling of ethylamine and propylamine 

 and scatole. In the portion insoluble in benzene was found a great deal of dextrose. 

 The author supposes that the civet was adulterated with lanoline and sugar syrup. 

 Another sample of civet, analysed by Niviere, contained 18 per cent, of talcum. 



Coumarin. — The Tonka beans are an important export article from Trinidad. They 

 are mainly shipped via Port of Spain to the United States, in smaller quantities also 

 to Europe, France and Germany 2 ). In America the beans are chiefly utilised as an 

 addition in the manufacture of tobacco, whilst they find in Europe more application 

 in the perfumery industry. The beans gathered in the forests of the Rio Cauro and 

 Orinoco in Venezuela are shipped to Trinidad, where they are submitted to a special 

 curing process 8 ) before being exported. 



In the year 1917, 752601 lbs. of tonka beans of a value of 472055 dollars, in the 

 year 1918 only 19213 lbs. of a value of 11 439 dollars, and in the year 1919 171500 lbs. 

 of a value of 167 221 dollars were exported to America. A further increase in the 

 exports is expected for 1920. 



Em. Bourquelot and H. Herissey 4 ) confirmed by a series of experiments the 

 assumption that coumarin is present in plants like Melilotus officinalis, Willd., Melilotus 

 arvensis, Wallr., Melilotus leucantha, Koch and Asperdula odorata, L. in the shape of a 

 glucoside. The plants, killed in hot water or alcohol, did not yield any coumarin, or only 

 traces of it, when distilled. When, however, some acid or some ferment powder, prepared 

 from the fresh plant, or some emulsin had been added in the same experiments before 

 the distillation, considerable quantities of coumarin were found in the distillate. Emulsin 

 caused a change in the sense of the optical rotation in the aqueous extract of the dead 

 plant, as well as an increase in the reducing power. The discrepant results, which the 

 different kinds of plants yielded indicated that the glucosides of the various plants were 

 different or were accompanied by other glucosides likewise hydrolysable by emulsin. The 

 sugar which is liberated at the same time as the coumarin is d-glucose (dextrose). It is not 

 certain, however, whether any other bodies are present in addition to these two compounds. 



In the leaves of the labiate Melittis Melissophyllum, L., which is frequent in the 

 forests of the neighbourhood of Paris, P. Guerin and A. Goris 5 ) could establish the 

 .presence of coumarin (m. p. 67 to 68°). The characteristic smell of this substance 

 was only noticed after the leaves had been dried or had been exposed to the vapours 

 of chloroform or ether. It may be assumed that the coumarin is present in the plant 

 as a glucoside, and is only liberated by the action of an enzyme likewise found there. 



We have years 6 ) ago proved the presence of coumarin in the oil of lavender, 

 likewise derived from a labiate. 



That coumarin is found in nature mostly in the combined condition had repeatedly 

 been observed already (by Guerin and Goris in Melittis Melissophyllum, by Bourquelot 



*) Bull. Soc. chim. IV. 27 (1920), 794. — 2 ) Perfum. Record 11 (1920), 332. — ») Cf. Report 1916, 70. 

 *) Compt. rend. 170 (1920), 1445. — B ) Ibidem p. 1067. — 6 ) Cf. Report October 1900, 41 ; April 1903, 49. 



