"^™May^i882^^™'}   Analytical  Researches  and  Investigations.  219 
to  be  theobromine.  To  settle  all  doubts,  it  was  then  converted,  after 
the  method  of  Strecker,  into  caffeine.  So  that  theobromine  and  caf- 
feine are  to  be  considered  as  respectively  dimethyl-  and  trimethyl- 
xanthine.  The  above  described  change  of  xanthine  into  theobromine 
and  caffeine  also  points  to  the  possibility  of  obtaining  this  base,  shown 
to  be  the  fundamental  part  of  two  most  important  articles  of  diet,, 
from  quite  a  different  crude  material,  viz.,  guano. — Ber.  Chem.  Ges.y. 
XV,  p.  453. 
A^^ALYTICAL  RESEAKCHES  AND  INVESTIGATIONS. 
C01.1.ATED  BY  Prof.  Frederick  B.  Power,  Ph.D. 
New  Chemical  Analysis  of  Copaiba  Balsam. — With  respect  to  the 
constituents  of  Maracaibo  copaiba  balsam  the  statements  existing  in 
chemical  literature  are  considerably  at  variance,  partly  in  regard  to  the 
properties  of  the  therein  contained  terpene,  and  partly  in  view  of  the 
crystallizable  resinous  acids  and  amorphous  resins  which  may  be 
obtained  therefrom.  An  investigation  of  Brix,  performed  in  the 
University  laboratory  of  Barth,  at  Vienna,  which  held  for  its  object 
the  elucidation  of  these  differences,  confirms  in  most  respects  the  state- 
ments of  Strauss  (1868). 
The  Maracaibo  balsam  contains  accordingly  a  hydrocarbon  of  the 
composition  G20II32,  which  furnishes  no  crystallizable  compound  with 
hydrochloric  acid,  and  by  oxidation  with  the  chloric  acid  mixture 
yields  acetic  and  terephtalic  acid.  By  the  treatment  of  the  crude 
terpene  with  sodium,  there  results,  after  the  distillation  of  the  colorless 
oil,  upon  further  distillation  a  beautiful  dark-blue  oil,  which,  in 
thicker  layers,  is  scarcely  transparent,  but  in  thinner  layers  shows  a 
beautiful  violet  color.  This  body  is  a  hydrate  of  the  oil,  and  corres- 
ponds to  the  formula  3(C2oH32)  +  H20.  Phosphoric  anhydride  converts 
it  again  into  the  original  terpene.  Besides  the  latter  there  exists  in  the 
Maracaibo  balsam  a  brown  hard  resin,  soluble  in  alcohol  and  ether,  a 
yellowish  hard  resin,  sparingly  soluble  in  alcohol,  more  readily  in 
ether,  and  melting  at  85°C.,  an  amorphous,  tough,  soft  resin,  and  a 
crystallizable  acid,  although  in  so  small  an  amount  that  its  probable 
identity  with  the  metacopaivic  acid  of  Strauss  could  not  be  definitely 
established.  The  extremely  small  amount  of  the  latter  found  by  Brix 
in  the  balsam  examined  by  him,  as  also  the  previous  statements  of" 
Bergmann,  Buchheim  and  Bernatzik,  who  could  obtain  no  crystalliz- 
