582  Pharmacopoeia!  Standard  for  {ADecemberP!?|™' 
Large  quantities  of  liquid  storax  have  been  imported  from  Asia 
Minor  where  it  is  gathered  from  the  "  Liquidambar  "  tree  (Liquid- 
ambar  Orientale) ,  but  scarcely  any  imports  are  received  at  the  pres- 
ent time  on  account  of  European  conditions.  This  material  is  used 
in  pharmaceutical  preparations,  as  a  source  of  cinnamic  alcohol  and 
concentrated  essence  of  storax,  which  are  used  in  perfumery  as  fixa- 
tives, and  as  a  general  source  of  cinnamic  acid  and  its  compounds. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  go  further  into  detail  since  this  material  is  de- 
scribed elsewhere.3 
Since  the  imports  of  liquid  storax  have  been  practically  discon- 
tinued it  has  become  necessary  to  look  for  American  sources  and  this 
article  is  simply  a  comparison  of  the  American  and  Oriental  storax 
of  commerce,  dealing  with  the  crude  materials  as  received.  The 
analyses  of  storax  given  below  were  made  on  samples  which  were 
sold  on  the  New  York  market  from  1912  to  191 7,  showing  the  gross 
adulteration  of  this  material.  The  sample  of  "  sweet  gum  "  analyzed 
was  gathered  in  Durham  County,  North  Carolina,  during  March, 
191 7,  and  the  genuineness  of  this  article  can  be  guaranteed.  An 
average  analysis  of  "  sweet  gum  "  is  given,  which  will  vary  from  time 
to  time,  according  to  locality  and  condition. 
Method  of  Analysis. 
The  general  methods  of  analysis  used  are  given  in  "  Resins,  Bal- 
sams and  Gum  Resins,"  by  K.  Dietrick,  page  233,  1901. 
In  addition  to  the  above  analysis,  the  method  as  outlined  in  Chem- 
ical Abstracts,  2  (1908),  2845,  f°r  Peruvian  balsam,  has  been  fol- 
lowed out  in  some  cases,  as  a  comparison. 
Results. 
The  following  values  have  been  obtained  from  the  samples  of 
crude  storax  and  "  sweet  gum  "  examined  : 
No  discussion  of  the  storax  analyses  will  be  attempted  since  there 
is  not  a  first-class  sample  in  the  entire  lot.  It  will  be  sufficient  to 
point  out  the  wide  variations,  especially  in  Nos.  2,  11  and  12,  which 
were  grossly  adulterated  with  colophony.  It  will  appear,  however, 
that  "  sweet  gum  "  compares  favorably  with  liquid  storax,  especially 
3  E.  J.  Parry,  "Food  and  Drugs,"  p.  492;  U.  S.  D.  1197,  19th  Ed.;  Gilde- 
meister  and' Hoffmann,  "Volatile  Oils,"  1,136;  K.  Dieterich,  "  Resins,  Balsams 
and  Gum  Resins,"  p.  225;  Watts'  "Dictionary  of  Chemistry,"  1  (1874),  497. 
