Chemical Preparations and Drugs. 89 



We will, however, add for Meldrum's benefit that the congelation point of anethole 

 is between 21 and 22°, and the melting point between 22 and 23°. The combined 

 action of air and light reduces the crystallizing capacity of anethole, so that finally 

 it will not crystallize at all. Further particulars on this subject are to be found in 

 Gildemeister's text-book on Volatile Oils, 2 nd edition, vol. I, page 478. 



Benzaldehyde. When examining a preparation (benzaldehyd. puriss.), bought in 

 Sweden, it struck Wastenson 1 ) that during combustion the flame was not so strong as 

 usual. As also the specific gravity at 15° was 0.943 (instead of 1.0504), he examined 

 the preparation carefully, which proved that it consisted of only 20 per cent, benz- 

 aldehyde and contained 80 per cent, of alcohol. On mixing 10 ccm. of benzaldehyde 

 with the same quantity of water and agitating with sodium chloride up to saturation 

 the volume of the secreted oil layer amounted to less than 2 ccm. 



Such an adulteration of benzaldehyde is, as Wastenson remarks, at present a very 

 profitable business, because the price has risen in the last two years from 10 to 46 

 crowns for 1 kg. 



Benzoin. Formerly, the Styrax Benzoin, Dryand., N. O. Styracew, was regarded as 

 the mother plant of the Siamese gum benzoin. In the year 1912, however, a publication 

 of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, appeared in which it was stated that the gum 

 was produced by another sort of Styrax, e. g., by 8. benzoides, Craib. This also, however, 

 seems to be incorrect, as H. Rordorf 2 ) who has often gone into the question of the 

 origin of benzoin resin now believes as the result of his latest investigations that one 

 must attribute it to a new species which he calls S. Siamensis. 



From North Siam he obtained fruits of the benzoin tree which ha examined carefully 

 and compared with those of Styrax Benzoin and of S. benzoides, whereby he arrived 

 at the result that they belong to a hitherto unknown species. 



He arranged and prepared them in such a manner, that the principal characteristics 

 are made as obvious as possible and then had them photographed; a reproduction of 

 the photograph is to be found as an illustration of his paper. 



Bornylisovalerate and Menthylisovalerate. It is notorious that the esters of 

 isovaleric acid distinguish themselves by being exceedingly difficult to saponify. Accord- 

 ingly, it was prescribed for the determination of the ester content of bornylisovalerate 

 and of menthylisovalerate to heat them for 2 hours 3 ) with a great excess of caustic 

 potash, whereby the results for the bornylester amounted to 86 to 89 per cent, and for 

 the menthylester to about 80 per cent. On making investigations for the disclosure 

 of the nature of non-saponified portions of these two esters, we found that even, in 

 spite of observing the saponification conditions just mentioned, the saponification was 

 not complete and that accordingly the above-mentioned results were too low, a fact 

 which applies especially to menthylisovalerate. In order, therefore, to obtain a quite 

 reliable norm for the valuation of these esters, it was primarily necessary to determine 

 in an absolute manner, how great the excess of alkali and the duration of the saponi- 

 fication ought to be in order to complete the operation. This investigation showed that 

 for 1.5 g. bornylester a saponification period lasting 3 hours with the aid of 30 ccm. 



*) Svensk farmaceutisk tidskrift 1916, 515; Pharrn. Zentralh. 68 (1917), 51. — ") Schweiz. Apotheker Ztg. 

 54 (1916), 585; 52 (1914), 701. — 3 ) Comp. Gildemeister and Hoffmann, The Volatile Oils, 2"" ed., vol. I, 

 p. 519 and 520. 



