22  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals.  {Am'j^"ri^arnSk 
treated  in  this  manner,  yielded  only  0*7482  grams  of  alkaloid,  while 
Mayer's  test  solution  indicated,  in  two  experiments,  0*399  and  0*433. 
per  cent,  respectively. — Archiv  d.  Phar.,  October,  310-317. 
The  Constituents  of  Tolubalsam. — By  E.  Busse  (uDeut.  Cherru 
Ges.  Ber.,"  ix,  830). — Somewhat  contradictory  results  have  been  arrived 
at  by  Fremy,  Deville,  Kopp,  Scharling  and  Carles,  partly  at  least  due 
to  the  fact  that  the  mode  of  operating  was  calculated  in  some  cases  to 
bring  about  decomposition  of  the  bodies  originally  present.  The 
author  dissolved  1  kilo,  of  partly  resinized  tolu  balsam  in  2  litres  of 
ether,  filtered  the  liquid  from  a  little  insoluble  matter,  and  then  agitated 
it  with  2  litres  of  soda-solution  containing  100  grams  Na20  ;  after 
agitating  the  ethereal  liquor  again  with  soda,  and  washing  with  water,  a 
residue  was  obtained  on  distilling  off  the  ether,  consisting  of  85  grams 
of  fluid  neutral  compounds.  On  fractional  distillation,  a  little  passed 
over  below  2000,  more  between  2500  and  3000,  and  most  of  all  above 
3200.  The  first  or  these  fractions  appeared  on  analysis  to  be  impure 
benzylic  alcohol  ;  it  formed  benzoic  aldehyd  and  acid  on  oxidation. 
The  second  gave  a  distillate  at  3000,  consisting  of  benzyl  benzoate^. 
C14H1202 ;  on  saponification  it  formed  benzylic  alcohol  and  a  benzoate. 
The  third  portion  consisted  of  benzyl  cinnamate,  C16H1402 ;  it  furnished 
cinnamic  acid  and  benzylic  alcohol  on  saponification,  and  had  the  spec* 
grav.  1*1145  at  I6<?. 
Hence  the  neutral  constituents  of  tolu  balsam  are  the  same  as  those 
found  by  Kraut  in  Peru  balsam,  only  they  exist  in  smaller  quantity  and 
different  proportions,  benzyl  cinnamate  forming  the  majority  in  the 
first,  benzyl  benzoate  in  the  second. 
The  soda  liquors  obtained  as  above  described  were  saturated  with 
carbonic  acid,  whereby  much  resin  was  precipitated ;  the  filtrate 
yielded  a  precipitate  on  addition  of  hydrochloric  acid  ;  one-half  of  the 
cinnamic  acids  thus  thrown  down  was  boiled  with  milk  of  lime  ;  a 
sparingly  soluble  lime  salt  was  thus  obtained  containing  (after  recrystal- 
lisation)  10*26  per  cent,  of  calcium,  the  cinnamate  requiring  10*30  per 
cent.  :  from  this  cinnamic  acid  melting  at  1330  was  isolated.  The 
mother-liquors  of  the  sparingly  soluble  calcium  cinnamate  contained 
much  calcium  benzoate,  which  crystallized  out  after  concentration  ; 
this  gave  (after  several  recrystallizations)  numbers  agreeing  with  the 
formula  Ca(C7H502)2-l-3H20  ;  and  from  it  benzoic  acid  was  precipi- 
tated, melting  at  120*5°. 
