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-. CHEMICAL PREPARATIONS AND DRUGS. 75 
_ Since this discovery rendered it completely uncertain whether phenylethylalcohol 
: was really present at all, we directed our further investigations in this direction. It 
turned out that the preparation contained about 60 per cent. of phenylethylalcohol, whilst 
the remainder was made up of compounds, probably some waste Beau ey or other, 
which could be only designated as worthless ballast. 
The buyer of these kinds of “valuable” prgsuel generally finds out too late that 
he has been scandalously overcharged. 
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Pollantin.— The, pollen of ‘the ambrosia species amongst others, especially of | 
__ Ambrosia trifida, L. and A. artemisifolia, L. belong to the exciters of American fall fever, 
which in its symptoms resembles hay fever. The labours of F. W. Heyl*)— which in 
the meanwhile have been carried on*)—have proved that besides toxic albumin, also 
; other well defined chemical bodies are found in the pollen of these composites, which 
are found also here and there in Germany. 
The constituents of the pollen which cause the yellow colour are as shvcbsides closely | 
related to flavone. To obtain them Hey! extracted the ether-extract of the pollen with 
2 alcohol, dissolved the alcoholic extract in water, precipitated with lead subacetate, and 
‘“ 
decomposed the precipitate with hydrogen sulphide. In this manner he obtained from 
1150 g. pollen 7.0 g. 2.e. about 0.6 per cent., of a yellow SESE from which he was 
able to isolate two glucosides. | 
The part of the precipitate less soluble in water contained a glucoside of the com- 
. - position Cs:H2On, which could be split up into glucose and quercetin CisH10O7, and 
which was isomeric with the glucosides quercimeritrin and isoquercitrin isolated from 
the flowers of Gossypium herbaceum, Linn. by A. G. Perkin’). An absolute characteristic | 
of this ragweed glucoside is, that the substance, which crystallizes in bright yellow 
needles, changes. suddenly on melting (m. p. 228 to 229°) to a cherry red oil. 
The second glucoside of the pollen was obtained in splendid hexagonal crystals 
extremely soluble in water. On hydrolysis it yielded’ isorhamnetin (m. p.,197 to 200°), 
_ the quercetin-3-methylester, which had been found also in ie flowers of Cheiranthus 
Je Cheiri, L.4) and Trifolium pratense, L.5), 
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Storax. —P. Bohrisch*) has published an exhaustive feidtise on the investigation 
of purified storax. The author investigated four samples, 2 of which were adulterated 
and the other two in all probability identical, and sums up the results of his labours 
as follows:—(1) The colour of purified storax should be strongly brown. If yellow- 
brown or yellow, adulteration may be suspected. (2) The smell of pure storax reminds 
one of benzoin. Storax with an odour of cinnamon oil has been perfumed, and is 
probably an artificial product. (3) The specific gravity of purified storax can be approxi- 
mately determined in a graduated cylinder. (4) The qualitative test of the German 
_Pharmacopeeia often fails. If the filtrate is evaporated to dryness and the residue 
warmed with a few drops of dilute sulphuric acid and 5 cc. of permanganate solution, 
then, if cinnamic acid is present, the smell of oil of bitter almonds appears. (5) The 
determination of acid value and saponification value frequently furnish no decisive point 
for an adulteration of storax, since the limiting numbers allow too much room for play, 
and are not absolutely established. Hence it is advisable to resort to further methods 
of investigation of suspicious storax. The estimation of the light petroleum extract, as 
Ay CF, Report 1918, 05. ee 2) Journ. Americ. chem, Soc. 41 (1919), 1285. — %) Journ. chem. Soc. 95 (1909), 
2181. — *) Ihidem 69 (1896), 1658. — 5) Ihidem 97 (1900), 245. — %) Pharm. Zentrath. 61 (1920), 275. 
