404  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals.  {Am'^;lS^m' 
the  composition  of  this  camphor  when  kept  for  some  time  over  sul- 
phuric acid. 
A  further  examination  of  cubebin  proved  the  correctness  of  Heldt's 
formula  C30H30O9,  and  its  formation  from  the  oil  may  be  explained  by 
the  equation  2C15H244-i8O=9H2O+C30H30O9.— Br.  Chem.  Ges.,  p. 
188-191. 
Oil  of  cubebs,  distilled  by  A.  Oglialoro,  was  observed  to  contain 
two  hydrocarbons,  one  boiling  between  1580  and  i63°C,  having  the 
composition  C10H16,  the  other  boiling  between  2500  and  2J0°C  The 
latter  yielded  with  muriatic  acid  a  compound  C15H24HC1,  which  crys- 
tallizes from  boiling  alcohol.  By  heating  it  in  sealed  tubes  to  about 
I75°C,  the  hydrocarbon  Cl5H24  is  again  separated,  and  after  purifica- 
tion from  sodium  has  a  density  of  '9289  at  o°C,  boils  at  2640  to  2650 
C,  and  deflects  polarized  light  to  the  left.  No  trace  of  the  hydro- 
carbon boiling  at  2300,  observed  by  Schmidt,  could  be  obtained. — Jour. 
Chem.  Soc,  Dec,  1876. 
Decomposition  of  Oil  of  Turpentine  by  Heat. — On  passing 
oil  of  turpentine  slowly  through  a  red  hot  iron  tube,  G.  Schultz 
observed  that  a  large  quantity  of  incombustible  gases  was  generated, 
which  were  not  further  examined  by  him.  A  black  tar  collected  in 
the  well-refrigerated  receiver,  and  was  found  to  consist  of  benzol, 
toluol,  xylol,  unaltered  oil  of  turpentine,  naphthalin,  phenanthrene, 
anthracene  and  methylanthracene,  nearly  all  of  which  compounds  have 
been  found  in  coal  tar,  and  many  also  occur  in  wood  tar. — Ber.  Deutsch. 
Chem.  Ges.,  1 877,  p.  113-118. 
Action  of  Potassa  upon  Cuminol. — Rich.  Meyer  boiled  cumi- 
nol  with  six  times  its  quantity  of  alcoholic  solution  of  potassa  for  12 
hours  in  a  retort  connected  with  a  reversed  cooler.  On  pouring  the 
mass  into  water  a  dark-brown  oil  separated,  which  besides  some  resin- 
ous matter  consisted  mainly  of  cuminic  acid  and  cuminic  alcohol ;  the 
presence  of  cymene,  which  was  found  by  others,  was  not  observed. — 
Ibid.,  p.  149-154. 
Oil  of  Mustard. — The  observation  of  Gerlich  ("Am.  Jour.  Phar.," 
1875,  p.  567),  that  allyl  bromide  and  potassium  sulphocyanide  produce 
at  a  low  temperature  allylsulphocyanide,  which  at  a  higher  temperature 
is  converted  into  its  isomer  oil  of  mustard,  has  induced  E.  Schmidt  to 
study  the  effect  of  myrosin  upon  myronic  acid  at  o°C.    He  found  that 
