168 
MYROXYLON PERUIFERURT. 
colour, known under the name of Black Peruvian Balsam^ A 
mixture of resin and some volatile oil, with benzoin, is often sold for 
Peruvian balsam, and the fraud is not readily detected. 
Sensible Qualities and Chemical Properties. Peruvian 
balsam is viscid, of a deep reddish brown colour, and of the consis- 
tence of honey when first taken from the comb ; its odour is very 
fragrant, with a warm, aromatic, somewhat bitter taste, and, when 
swallowed, leaves a slight burning sensation in the throat. When 
boiled with water, the liquid becomes acidulated, reddens vegetable 
blues, and deposits, on cooling, crystals of benzoic acid. When 
distilled with water, it yields a small quantity of reddish limpid oil, 
and benzoic acid sublimes in the neck of the retort ; its remaining 
matter is a resin. At 550° the balsam begins to boil, when exposed 
to heat in a water bath, and some gas is discharged. At 594° the 
oil, mixed with a little water, comes over pretty fast. Lichtenberg 
kept four ounces of balsam at the temperature of 617** for two hours, 
and obtained two ounces of a yellowish oil, and a crystallized mass 
of benzoic acid, which, together with the water, weighed six 
drachms and a half. The gas obtained amounted to fifty-eight ounce 
measures, thirty-eight being carbonic acid ; the rest burnt like ole- 
fiant gas. It dissolves completely in sulphuric ether, and also in 
alcohol, but the latter requires to be in considerable quantity. The 
alkalies and their carbonates form with it thick masses, which, on 
the addition of sulphuric acid, let fall a resinous matter, and benzoic 
acid crystallizes. Treated with nitric and muriatic acids, the pre- 
sence of Prussic acid is detected, benzoic acid sublimes, and the 
residual matter is artificial tannin. Mr. Hatchett * found that when 
this balsam is treated with sulphuric acid, artificial tannin is also 
formed, and the charcoal remaining amounts to no less than 0.64 of 
the original weight of the balsam. From the analysis of Stoltze, 
1000 parts of balsam consist of 24 of brown, nearly insoluble resin, 
207 of soluble resin, 690 of a peculiar kind of volatile oil, 64 of 
benzoic acid, and 6 of extractive matter. 
Tolu Balsam. This balsam was formerly supposed to be the pro- 
duce of a different tree from that which yields the Peruvian balsam, 
but it has been ascertained that both balsams are the produce of the 
Myroxylon above described. The Tolu balsam is, as we have before 
noticed, the white balsam of Peru hardened by exposure to the air ; 
it comes to this country in gourd shells or calabashes ; it has an 
extremely fragrant odour, somewhat resembling that of lemons ; 
* Hatohelt, Phil. Trans. 1806. 
