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(CAL PREPARATIONS ‘AND ) DRucs. Wee 77 
hultz?) studied the influence of various solvents on the effectiveness of thymol, 
and found that, when teenie in oil it lost the greater part of its antiparisitic qualities. 
~ Vanillin. Say met with a gross case of adulteration in a Baniple sent to us 
ake examination. It contained: 20 to 30 per cent. of a substance apparently consisting 
of wheat groats. Such an admixture: betrays itself very quickly by reason of its 
~ insolubility in ether, and alcohol; it would also be quickly observed by the consumer, 
since he often uses it in alcoholic, solution. Unfortunately the amount of sample at 
our disposal was so small, that we could only, approximately decide the amount of 
: admixture. _On treatment with ether, a residue of 20 to 30 percent. remained, which 
on viewing with the naked eye and also under the microscope, was quite apparently 
_ identical with wheat groats. The vanillin reobtained from the solution in ether melted 
at 82°, and was hence of usual quality. . ; 
rae. ae pelreyer and O. Griinert”) made investigations on the identificaicns and 
_ especially on the volatility of vanillin, cumarin, and heliotropin in mixtures, as in the 
so-called aroma powders; which led to the ee fesults.——)' 
(1) The amount of vanillin, cumarin and heliotropin i in mixtures gradually decreases - 
on keeping. (2) Of these three aromatic substances, heliotropin is the most unstable. 
(3) Within the space of 3 months a loss of up to about 81 per cent. of the aromatic sub- 
_ stance was observed in the case of vanillin and cumarin. If the vanillin is partly replaced 
by heliotropin in the mixture, then the disappearance of aroma is greatly increased; by the 
end of a month the whole of the heliotropin had disappeared, and only a part of the tania 
was still present. (4) In mixtures where vanillin. only is used, the less the quantity of 
_ vanillin, the more rapidly does it decrease. (5) The disappearance of the aromatic sub- 
stance is more rapid in flour than in sugar-mixtures. (6) Colour reactions are insufficient 
for determining the purity of vanillin; the most valuable test is the melting-point. 
In reference to these investigations of Sprinkmeyer and Griinert, H. Schellbach and 
ee FT. Bodinus*) report that they found only an 8 to 10 per cent. disappearance of vanillin 
Pin 45 samples of commercial 1 percent. vanillin sugar from 3 to 6 months after their 
preparation. The volatilisation of vanillin ascertained by Sprinkmeyer and Griinert 
was much greater in considerably lesser time. The colour reaction for vanillin and 
*  heliotropin first established by Schellbach and Bodinus*) is useful when pure sub- 
_ stances are present. Ifa red coloration appears with resorcinol ++ hydrochloric acid, 
_ but no blue coloration with ferric ohloride, then heliotropin alone, or heliotropin and 
_ cumarin are present. 
Supplementary to their first Aadagabement on vanillin preparations (see above), 
“EL gener 3 and O. Griinert*) published further results of their investigations in 
this matter. They were able to confirm their earlier investigations and also show 
that the disappearance of the aromatic substance in vanilla sugar could be very greatly 
retarded if packed in parchment bags or small glass tubes instead of ordinary writing 
paper. The disagreement of their observations with those of Schellbach and Bodinus 
_ (see above) may be found ee to. ae, different ways in which the article was packed. 
} ne 
1) Chem. Abstr. 10 (1916), 2598. As i Digest of Comments on the Pharmacopeia of U. S. A. for 1916, 296. 
— *) Zeitschr. Unters. d. Nahrungs- u. Genussm. 38 (1919), 153. — 3) Ibidem 292. — 4) Ibidem 86 (1918), 
187. Vanillin and heliotropin both give with resorcinol + sulphuric acid, and with resorcinol + hydrochloric 
_acid (41,19) an intense splendid red Pepee he Cumarin does net give this reaction. — °) Zeitschr. Unters. — 
fF Nahrungs- u. Genussm., 39 (1920), 145. 
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