AmbJc0tu>r•I8P7h7arm,}    British  Pharmaceutical  Conference.  523 
The  next  communication  was  by  Dr.  Tilden  "  On  the  Essential  Oils  with  special 
reference  to  the  Hydrocarbons  contained  in  them."  In  it  were  described  the  results 
of  a  further  study  by  the  author  of  the  action  of  nitrosyl  (NOC1)  upon  various 
terpenes  of  the  formula  C10H16,  and  upon  other  substances  of  the  composition 
C]5H24.  The  terpenes  give  compounds  which  yield  on  suitable  treatment  substitu- 
tion products  expressed  by  the  formula  C10H15(NO),  while  the  hydrocarbons  C15H24 
fail  to  show  this  character. 
These  results  agree  with  those  of  Kingzett  and  Wright,  who  each  by  pursuing 
different  lines  of  research  have  arrived  at  similar  conclusions  regarding  these  classes 
of  bodies.  Whereas,  however,  these  chemists  believe  that  only  one  cymene,  C10H14, 
exists,  and  may  be  got  from  all  the  terpenes,  Tilden  believes  that  a  number  of 
isomeric  cymenes  exist,  the  only  ground  for  this  belief  brought  forward  being  the 
differences  exhibited  by  different  specimens  in  their  rotatory  power  over  light. 
In  the  next  paper,  by  Messrs.  M.  M.  P.  Muir  and  S.  Sugiura,  essential  oil  of  sage 
was  further  described  ;  also  the  terpenes  which  they  have  obtained  from  it  and  their 
action  upon  light,  and  the  composition  of  certain  camphor-like  bodies  contained  in 
the  essential  oil. 
Following  this  paper  was  one  by  Mr.  R.  H.  Davies  upon  "  The  Constituents  of 
the  Ivy,"  although  virtually  the  only  one  treated  of  by  the  author  was  hederic  acid, 
a  substance  isolated  originally  by  Posselt,  and  further  described  by  Hartsens.  In 
analyses  made  of  this  substance  Mr.  Davies  had  experienced  a  difficulty  in  combus- 
tion, although  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  may  be  remarked  that  when  heated  on  platinum 
foil  alone,  it  burns  away  quite  easily  and  entirely,  leaving  not  a  trace  of  charcoal. 
Mr.  Davies  arrived  at  a  higher  percentage  of  carbon  for  the  substance  than  did 
Posselt,  whose  analyses  led  to  the  formula  C15H2404  while  those  of  Mr.  Davies  give 
C16H2604.  A  nitro  compound  C16H25(N02)04  was  also  described,  but  attempts  to 
prepare  certain  salts  proved  futile.  This  might  have  been  expected  of  a  substance 
having  the  character  of  a  glucoside  as  predicted  last  year  by  Mr.  Kingzett,  who  now 
followed  Mr.  Davies  with  a  note  on  hederic  acid. 
In  this  communication  Mr.  Kingzett  described  the  means  whereby,  following  up 
his  own  suggestion  as  to  the  nature  of  this  substance,  he  had  isolated  glucose  from 
hederic  acid,  and  had  obtained  a  barium  salt  of  the  same,  the  analysis  of  which  was 
described.  Mr.  Kingzett  explained  that  this  research  formed  part  of  a  broader 
investigation,  the  first  part  of  which  had  been  communicated  to  the  Chemical 
Society  recently  by  Dr.  Hake  and  himself,  and  he  regarded  the  production  of  sugar 
from  hederic  acid  as  one  proof  of  the  correctness  of  his  theory  described  in  that 
paper. 
Mr.  J.  Eliot  Howard  was  the  author  of  the  next  paper  "  On  the  Supply  of  Cin- 
chona Bark,  as  connected  with  the  present  price  of  Quinine."  The  discussion 
which  ensued  was  perhaps  as  interesting  as  the  paper  itself,  the  points  which  were 
elicited  being  as  follows :  Although  it  would  be  attended  with  some  advantages  to 
use  other  cinchona  alkaloids  than  quinine  for  at  least  some  purposes,  yet  the  medical 
evidence  available  is  far  from  satisfactory  as  regards  the  specific  action  of  any  of 
the  other  alkaloids  except  quinine.  More  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  kind  must 
therefore  be  obtained  before  the  commercial  develpoment  of  cinchonidine,  etc.,  can 
be  attempted  on  a  large  scale. 
