296 
ON  THE  VOLATILE  OIL  OF  MYRCIA  ACRIS. 
■when  heated ;  in  tartrate  of  ammonia  it  is  slightly  soluble, 
forming  a  green  solution,  which,  when  heated  to  boiling,  is 
decomposed,  forming  a  gelatinous  mass. 
Citrate  of  soda  dissolves  it  in  considerable  quantity,  but  the 
best  solvent  for  it  is  the  neutral  citrate  of  ammonia  proposed 
by  Mr.  Robiquet,  as  a  solvent  for  the  pyrophosphate  of  iron. 
In  this  salt  it  dissolves  readily,  forming  a  green  solution  with 
a  brown  shade  ;  when  evaporated  and  spread  on  glass,  and  dried, 
it  forms  scales  of  a  brownish  green  color,  which  much  resemble 
those  of  the  citro-ammoniacal  pyrophosphate  of  iron.  The  dry 
salt  dissolves  more  rapidly  in  cold  water,  than  the  pyrophosphate, 
and  has  a  pleasant  saline  taste;  a  solution  of  it  on  the  addition 
of  ammonia,  remains  clear,  but  turns  to  a  reddish  brown  color, 
while  the  addition  of  a  portion  of  citric  acid  turns  it  to  a  lighter 
green  color. 
100  parts  of  this  salt  on  examination,  were  found  to  lose  10 
parts  of  water,  and  furnish  23  parts  of  Fe^Og  which  corres- 
pond to  44  parts  of  Feo03,P0.,  the  remaining  46  parts  being 
the  citrate  of  ammonia.  We  have  thus  a  citro-ammoniacal  ses- 
quiphosphate  of  iron,  which  is  a  reliable  preparation,  containing 
23  per  cent,  of  sesquioxide  of  iron,  and  possessing  decided  ad- 
vantages over  most  ferruginous  preparations,  on  account  of  its 
pleasant  taste,  while  it  will  prove  more  active  than  the  citro- 
ammoniacal  pyrophosphate  of  iron,  as  it  contains  more  iron.  We 
may,  therefore,  hope  that  a  fair  trial  of  this  new  salt  by  the 
medical  profession  will  gain  for  it  the  place  to  which  its  compo- 
sition would  seem  to  entitle  it. 
ON  THE  VOLATILE  OIL  OF  MYRCIA  ACRIS. 
By  Jno.  M.  Maisch. 
Together  with  the  leaf  of  which  I  treated  in  another  paper, 
Mr.  F.  L.  John  handed  me  some  of  the  volatile  oil  contained  in 
bay  rum. 
This  oil  is  of  a  bright  brownish  golden  yellow  color,  limpid, 
and  has  an  agreeable  aromatic  odor,  strongly  resembling  allspice, 
mixed  with  a  little  cloves,  and  faintly  reminding  of  cinnamon ; 
its  taste  is  warm  and  pleasantly  aromatic.    It  evaporates  from 
