Chemical Preparations and Drugs. 95 



(240:1000) or chromic acid, in the presence of 10 parts of ^-amino-benzoic acid, 

 dissolved in 480 parts of 50 per cent, sulphuric acid. By way of the bisulphite compound 

 one obtains 15 parts of unaltered isosafrole and 90 parts of heliotropin. 



Menthol. — The list of articles which the Board of Trade considered dutiable 

 under the Safeguarding of Industries Act includes menthol. We do not know what 

 prompted the competent authorities to take this remarkable step, as an article is 

 concerned which cannot possibly be made in England. Anyway this proceeding has 

 roused a storm of criticism in the affected quarters in England 1 ), so that the Board 

 of Trade tried to get out of all difficulties by adding the letter "R" to menthol, which 

 signifies that the chemical indicated is included only when it is "pure", "puriss.", 

 "extra pure", "B. P.", §c. In criticizing this measure the Chemist and Druggist gives 

 vent to the following opinion: "There is no specially purified menthol obtainable in 

 commerce, except as a laboratory curiosity, and then it has no superiority over ordinary 

 menthol." If the author knew that purified, i. e. recrystallized menthol is sold in ton 

 lots on the continent and that, contrary to what may be the case in England, Germany 

 and a good many other European countries use no other menthol at all for pharma- 

 ceutical purposes, he would surely have given a different verdict. 



Further communications on menthol are to be found under the heading of Japanese 

 Peppermint Oil, page 58 of this Report. 



Musk. — Chungking is the chief port of original export for musk, which is brought 

 into Szechwan from Tibet, says Consul P. R. Josselyn, Chungking 2 ). During the ten 

 years from 1893 to 1902 the average yearly export through the Maritime Customs at 

 Chungking was 3971 pounds, while during 1918 the amount exported was only 948 pounds. 

 This decline was partly due to the war; but for the last 15 years there has been a 

 steady decline, which would indicate that the musk deer is no longer as plentiful or 

 as easily caught as formerly 3 ). Probably considerably less than one-half of the musk 

 that comes into China from Tibet is exported abroad. The remainder is used locally 

 by the Chinese medicine shops and as a perfume. 



Before the war France took approximately 50 per cent, of the export, the United 

 States being second, taking about 20 per cent. During the five years from 1910 to 1914 

 the average yearly export to the United States from all China was 406 pounds, valued 

 at 120284 Haikwan taels 4 ). During the three years 1915 to 1917, inclusive, it increased 

 to 613 pounds, valued at 195087 Haikwan taels. 



Musk, artificial. — According to A. Reclaire 5 ) a "new brand of musk", received 

 from France, contained no less than 82 per cent, acetanilide. For the quantitative 

 determination of this well-known adulterant of artificial musk the author proceeded as 

 follows, basing his method on the prescriptions given by A. Seidel 6 ) and J. C. Tonus 7 ): — 



The acetanilide is decomposed by boiling it with 20 per cent, hydrochloric acid. 

 The aniline formed is converted into tribromo-aniline by means of an excess of 

 potassium bromide-bromate solution of known strength. After having added some 

 potassium iodide solution, the excess of bromine -is titrated back with sodium thio- 

 sulphate solution, when the content of aniline (acetanilide) can be calculated from 



*) a* em i st awl Dmr/gist $5 (]921), 875. — 2 ) Americ. Perfumer 16 (1921), 106. — 3 ) Cf. Bericht (German) 

 1920, 72. — *) As to the altered value of the Haikwan tael see Bericht (German) 1920, 73.. — B ) Perfum. 

 Record 12 (1921), 280. — «) Journ. Americ. chem. Hoc. 29 (1907), 1091. — ') Physisch-chemisch underzoel- can 

 verhindingen. gevormd ait een amine en een organisch zuur (Leiden 1918). 



