52 
tion, hence such leaves feel sticky or gummy to the touch. By a thor- 
ough sweat tuis ‘gum is taken out,” as the manufacturer says; in other 
words these extractive matters are more or less oxidized.'! It is there- 
fore of interest to determine the amount of soluble matter left after 
sweating. This amount varies considerably, from 30 to 54 per cent. 
The insoluble matter consists mainly of cellulose, lignin, protein, color- 
ing matter, fat, resin, and ash. With some samples the following 
results were obtained: 
1p ere 3. 4 
SPT e ya 2 Fae Sas esa ee ic Senge cnn Oe ae enna cpsesy a | 33:8] 37.5 44.3 
Insolubles 22s ss ea stcs isstee Se oe es et eae eee See eee eee 62.9 | 66.2 62.5 55.7 
Sample No. 2 showed saline efflorescences (so-called * saltpeter”) on 
the veins. Sample No. 4 consisted of co-called ‘** gummy leaves.” The 
ash varied from 19.4 to 22.1 per cent in those samples. 
It was formerly believed that the aroma was chiefly due to the so- 
called tobacco camphor or nicotianine—a crystalline volatile product 
which was obtained by distillation of sweated tobacco with water. 
Hermbstadt tried, as early as 1821, to isolate this aromatic principle. 
On distilling various samples with six times the weight of water he 
obtained a distillate yielding a precipitate with acetate of lead, 
from which a crystallized compound of a strong tobacco flavor was 
obtained, which he called nicotianine. Later on this product was 
studied by Posselt and lhieman, and also by Barral. Two formulas 
have been calculated from Barral’s results, namely, C.;H3N2O; and 
C;3,H.;N;0;.. Barral states that it yields nicotine on distillation with 
potassa. This product may possibly be formed from nicotine in the 
process of sweating, but it is by no means contained in every tobacco. 
A number of chemists have failed to observe it and the writer has tried 
in vain to obtain it from Florida tobacco. The aqueous distillate from 
the Florida tobacco contained, besides smail oil drops, some ammonium 
carbonate, and the precipitate obtained with basic acetate of lead was 
nothing but lead carbonate.? Probably the nicotianine is only an oc¢a- 
sional product in very heavy tobacco. Odor as well as aroma is evi- 
dently caused not by a single compound, but by a mixture of com- 
'The word “‘gum” is applied in other countries in the same sense as the word 
“life” is with tobacco in America, signifying a certain elasticity of the tobacco 
leaves. The word ‘‘gum” in this connection is derived from the erroneous idea that 
the elasticity is caused by a content of *‘ gummi elasticum” orcaoutchouc, Behrens 
has recently shown that the ‘‘life” of fermented tobacco leaves is due to a greater 
amount of hygroscopic moisture, caused by a higher percentage of malates of 
potassa and soda. 
“The resuits obtained by the firm of Schimmel & Co., in Leipzig (recently pub- 
lished in Chemiker-Zeitung, 1899, No. 80), are in full accord with the writer’s obser- 
vations. No nicotianine, but considerable ammonia was present in the aqueous 
distillate of the sweated tobacco tested. 
