THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
AUGUST,  1877. 
EXAMINATION  OF  COMMERCIAL  COPAIBA. 
By  Charles  A.  Bowman,  Ph.G. 
From  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
The  author  discusses  the  natural  causes  of  the  different  appearance 
of  commercial  copaiba,  which  are  found  in  its  being  obtained  from 
different  species  of  Copaifera,  in  the  probable  mixture  of  the  products 
of  different  species,  and  in  the  loss  or  oxidation  of  the  volatile  oil  from 
exposure.  The  principal  varieties  used  in  the  United  States  are  Mara- 
caibo  and  Para  copaiva,  the  former  of  which  is  a  thicker  liquid  than  the 
last.  Specimens  of  both  kinds  were  procured  for  examination  from 
reliable  houses. 
Para  copaiba  yielded  a  clear  solution  with  a  small  quantity  of  absolute 
alcohol  and  a  slight  flocculent  precipitate  with  a  large  quantity.  With 
little  alcohol,  sp.  gr.  "817,  a  separation  into  two  layers  took  place  ;  but 
with  a  large  amount  no  separation  occurred,  and  the  solution  was  nearly 
clear.  Alcohol,  sp.  gr.  "835,  gave  in  all  proportions  two  layers,  the 
lower  of  which  was  transparent,  the  upper  cloudy.  Agitated  with  half 
its  bulk  of  ammonia,  a  perfectly  clear  solution  was  obtained.  On 
evaporating  a  little  from  paper,  a  resinous  spot  without  greasy  margin 
was  obtained,  and  when  evaporated  in  a  capsule  44*4  per  cent,  of  a 
hard  resin  was  left. 
The  Maracaibo  copaibas  behaved  differently  ;  they  were  cloudy  and 
without  flocculent  separation  with  absolute  alcohol ;  milky  and  without 
separation  with  little  alcohol,  sp.  gr.  '817,  and  cloudy  with  more. 
They  separated  into  two  layers  with  alcohol,  sp.  gr.  '835,  gave  a  per- 
manent milky  mixture  with  half  the  bulk  of  ammonia,  left  on  paper  a 
resinous  stain  with  a  greasy  margin,  and  on  evaporation  from  a  capsule 
a  plastic  or  soft  residue. 
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