256  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals.  {Amd™%!7trm' 
crystalline  matter.  This  leads  to  the  inference  that  the  thymol  must  be  extracted 
in  the  countries  where  the  oil  is  produced,  and  that  the  residual  cymene  and  thymene 
is  sold  as  oil  of  thyme. — Ibid.,  p.  646 
Garcinia  indica,  known  in  India  as  Kokum,  flowers  about  Christmas  and  ripens 
its  fruit  in  April  and  May.  Dymock  states  that  the  fruit  is  largely  used  as  an  acid 
ingredient  in  curries  as  is  an  article  of  commerce  in  the  dry  state.  It  is  generally- 
prepared  by  removing  the  seeds,  drying  the  pulp  in  the  sun  and  slightly  salting  it. 
The  seeds  are  pounded  and  boiled  to  extract  the  fat,  which  is  roughly  moulded  by- 
hand  into  egg-shaped  balls  or  concavo-convex  cakes,  and  is  known  as  kokum-butter. 
The  apothecaries  ot  Goa  prepare  a  very  fine  purple  syrup  from  the  fruit,  which  is 
worthy  of  attention — Phar.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  Jan.  19,  p.  565. 
Elemic  Acid. — In  addition  to  bryoidin  and  amyrin,  Eugene  Buri  has  separated  a 
third  crystalline  principle  from  elemi.  It  is  obtained  from  the  mother  liquors  of 
amyrin  ("Araer.  Jour.  Phar.,"  1876,  p.  355),  by  evaporating  them.  The  amorphous 
resin  is  dissolved  in  petroleum  spirit  (6o°C.  boiling  point),  the  solution  becomes  turbid 
with  more  petroleum  spirit.  The  mixture  is  shaken  with  potassa  solution,  and  after 
separation  the  jelly  is  emulsionized  by  the  addition  of  some  water,  and  then  dissolved 
in  ether.  Instead  of  petroleum  spirit,  ether  may  be  used  for  dissolving  the  resin.  On 
supersaturating  thealkalinesolution  with  HC1,  elimic  acid  is  precipitated  and  freed  from 
an  amorphous  acid  resin  by  repeated  crystallization  from  alcohol.  Its  composition 
is  C35H5604=(C5H8)704.  The  potassium  salt  crystallizes  from  its  strong  alkaline 
solution  in  needles. — Ibid.,  Feb.  2,  p.  601. 
Spurious  balsam  of  tolu  has  been  observed  by  W.  A.  H.  Naylor.  It  is  yellow- 
ish-brown, very  viscid,  in  thin  layers  of  golden  yellow  and  transparent  5  has  a  some- 
what glue-like  odor,  and  when  tasted  produces  in  a  few  seconds  a  sensation  of 
warmth  and  acridity.  It  is  completely  soluble  in  carbon  bisulphide,  benzol,  chloro- 
foim,  ether  and  hot  alcohol,  the  latter  solution  depositing  on  cooling.  Glacial 
acetic  acid  and  potassa  solution  dissolve  it  partly.  It  contains  no  constituent  vola- 
tile at  i6o°C,  and  when  distilled  with  potassium  bichromate  and  sulphuric  acid,  no 
oily  liquid  passes  over,  and  the  odor  of  bitter  almonds  is  not  evolved.  Agitated  with 
ammonia  and  the  filtrate  acidified  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  a  pink  color  is  quickly 
developed.  It  was  free  from  fixed  and  volatile  oils,  and  found  to  consist  of  an 
indifferent  and  two  acid  resins  The  author  suggests  the  probability  that  this  sub- 
stance is  a  natural  product  of  new  importation,  and  not  a  tampered  or  manufactured 
article. — Ibid  ,  Feb  9,  p.  624.. 
Artificial  Vanillin. —  Tiemann  has  patented  a  process  in  England  which  depends 
upon  the  conversion  of  eugenic  acid  into  aceto  eugenol  by  boiling  with  acetic 
anhydrid.  The  newly  formed  compound  is  treated  with  a  very  weak  warm  solution 
of  potassium  permanganate,  the  solution  filtered,  rendered  slightly  alkaline,  concen- 
trated, acidulated  and  the  vanillin  extracted  with  ether. — Ber.  Deutsch.  Chem.  Ges.t 
1877,  p.  1907- 
Distillation  of  Resins  with  Zinc  Dust — This  was  effected  by  G.  Ciamician  in 
a  current  ot  hydrogen,  and  the  products  separated  by  fractional  distillation.  Abietinic 
acid  yielded  under  these  circumstances  toluol,  C7H8,  meta-ethylmethylbenzol  C9H12> 
♦ 
