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ANALYSIS  OF  RED  SANDAL  WOOD. 
ANALYSIS  OF  RED  SANDAL  WOOD. 
By  H.  Dussance,  of  New  Lebanon,  N.  Y. 
(Abridged  by  the  Editor,  from  an  elaborate  original  paper,  at  the  request  of  the  Author.) 
Red  Saunders  or  Red  Sandal  Wood,  (Pterocarpus  santalinus,) 
is  the  product  of  a  large  tree  growing  in  Ceylon,  and  on  the 
coast  of  Coromandel,  and  well  known  to  druggists  as  a  coloring 
substance. 
Action  of  water  on  the  wood  Sandal  wood  was  first  exhausted 
with  cold  and  hot  water,  by  repeated  infusions  in  that  liquid ; 
2-39  gms.  lost  0-251  gms.  by  this  treatment.  The  infusions 
subjected  to  distillation  yielded  a  distillate  having  the  odor  of 
musk,  due  to  a  volatile  oil,  and  having  an  acid  reaction  due  to  free 
acetic  acid,  as  determined  by  distilling  its  baryta  salt  with  SO3. 
The  residuum  in  the  retort  was  evaporated  to  dryness  and  in- 
cinerated. It  yielded  a  white  ash ;  the  part  soluble  in  water 
contained  carbonate  and  sulphate  of  potassa,  and  the  chlorides 
of  potassium  and  sodium.  The  part  insoluble  in  water  contained 
silica,  sesquioxide  of  iron,  alumina  and  sulphate  of  lime. 
Another  portion  of  the  infusion  of  sandal  wood  was  examined 
further  for  organic  proximate  principles.  It  was  warmed 
with  hydrated  oxide  of  lead,  which  removed  the  coloring  matter 
and  free  acid.  The  liquid  was  filtered  and  the  deposit  of  oxide 
of  lead,  etc.,  washed. 
The  clear  liquid  and  washings,  by  distillation,  yielded  the  vola- 
tile oil  before  noticed.  The  concentrated  liquid  was  found  to 
contain  the  acetates  of  lime  and  potassa,  when  tested  with  oxalate 
of  ammonia,  bichloride  of  platinum  and  sulphuric  acid.  A  por- 
tion of  it  when  concentrated  became  coated  with  an  elastic  pellicle, 
which  when  warmed  with  potassa  disengaged  ammonia,  and 
which  afforded  a  precipitate  by  solution  of  galls  and  acetate  of 
lead.  The  taste  of  the  concentrated  liquid  indicates  sugar,  and 
when  it  is  thrown  into  alcohol  it  is  abundantly  precipitated,  the 
precipitate  being;  soluble  in  water. 
The  oxide  of  lead  precipitate  was  suspended  in  water  and 
decomposed  by  sulph-hydric  acid  gas,  the  liquid  filtered  and 
boiled.  This  when  concentrated  and  tested  with  liquor  potassse, 
gives  a  precipitate  soluble  in  hot  water.  Lime  water  gives  a 
precipitate  ;  chloride  of  calcium  none,  unless  the  liquid  is  pre- 
