ArebrukWP1i9oron1*}     Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  79 
OIL  OF  THYME. 
Understanding  that  oil  of  thyme  was  often  falsified  by  addition 
of  oil  of  turpentine  and  abstraction  of  its  natural  phenols,  thymol 
and  carvacrol,  M.  Duyk  (Journ.  de  Pharm.  d'Anvers,  1899,  41)  in- 
vestigated the  substance,  and  found  that,  in  many  cases,  the  charge 
was  true.  Concerning  the  addition  of  turpentine,  he  learned  from 
eye-witnesses  that  in  the  crude  process  of  distillation  employed  by 
the  peasants  in  the  south  of  France  it  is  usual  to  place  in  the  bot- 
tom of  the  still  body  a  layer  of  pine  and  fir  branches,  and  thereon 
the  herb  is  laid,  the  excuse  being  that  the  pine  needles  keep  the 
thyme  from  scorching. 
The  writer  critically  compared  the  pharmacopceial  tests,  working 
with  absolutely  samples  of  the  oil,  and  he  decides  that  the  best  oil 
is  yielded  by  cultivated  thyme  (T.  vulgaris),  and  that  such  a  product 
contains  no  pinene,  and  yields  at  least  20  per  cent,  of  thymol  and 
carvacrol.  Such  an  oil  will  dissolve  in  its  own  volume  of  84  per 
cent,  alcohol,  will  boil  at  not  less  than  1700  C,  and  will  be  inactive 
or  slightly  laevogyre  toward  polarized  light.  After  removal  of 
thymol  and  carvacrol  with  solution  of  soda,  the  residue  will  be 
slightly  dextrogyre.  The  oil  will  have  the  density  of  not  less  than 
0  885,  and  gives  negative  results  with  the  refractometer.  If  to  1  c.c. 
oil  and  4  c.c.  liquid  parafTin  be  added  2  c.c.  sulphuric  acid,  specific 
gravity  1*86,  of  the  same  temperature,  the  rise  in  temperature  on 
mixing  will  not  be  greater  than  180  C.  H.  V.  A. 
ANABSINTHIN. 
Adrian  and  Trillat  have  continued  their  researches  (Nouv.  Rem., 
J899,  93)  on  absinthium.  They  scout  the  idea  that  their  body  is 
absinthin,  citing  that  their  compound,  which  they  call  anabsinthin, 
differs  from  absinthin  by  being  insoluble  in  ether  and  by  its  higher 
fusing-point  (258-2600  C).  Moreover,  its  formula  is  C18H2404.  It  is 
extracted  by  treating  absinthium  with  85  per  cent,  alcohol,  evaporat- 
ing extract,  treating  residue  with  chloroform,  filtering  and  evaporat- 
ing chloroformic  extract,  which  is  then  dissolved  in  90  per  cent,  alco- 
hol. This  solution  is  freed  from  extraneous  matter  by  addition  of 
lead  acetate,  the  lead  removed  with  tartaric  acid  and  the  filtered 
liquid  evaporated.  From  this  residue  the  anabsinthin  is  extracted 
with  benzin  and  purified  by  crystallization  from  alcohol.  It  is  a 
crystalline,  intensely  bitter  substance,  which  gives  a  color  reaction 
