504 
Note  on  Guaiacol. 
5 Am.  Jour.  Pharm.. 
Nov.  1,  1872. 
a  retort  and  subjected  to  prolonged  distillation,  water  being  added 
from  time  to  time,  to  make  up  for  that  which  distils  over.  In  this- 
way  a  quantity  of  light  oily  matter  passes  over,  having  a  very  offen- 
sive smell,  and  floating  on  water.  This  is  to  be  rejected,  and  when 
no  more  oil  is  observed  to  pass  over,  the  alkaline  solution  in  the  retort 
is  diluted,  and  a  slight  excess  of  sulphuric  acid  added,  by  which  means 
a  dark  colored  heavy  oil  is  separated.  This  is  distilled,  and  the  oily 
product  again  treated  with  caustic  soda  and  distilled  as  before,  by 
which  means  a  further  small  quantity  of  the  light  oil  is  separated.. 
This  alkaline  solution  on  exposure  to  air  soon  turns  of  a  very  dark 
brown,  almost  black  color,  and  when  an  acid  is  added  after  a  few  days, 
a  very  dark  purple  colored  oil  is  deposited.  This  oil  distilled  gives  a* 
light  yellowish  oily  liquid,  which  after  several  distillations  yields  a 
colorless  heavy  oily  liquid,  which  is  the  pure  or  nearly  pure  guaiacoL 
Guaiacol  is  an  oily  liquid,  considerably  heavier  than  water ;  it  is 
quite  white  when  first  distilled,  but  soon  assumes  a  pale  straw  color. 
Its  smell  is  characteristic  of  creasote,  but  not  so  disagreeable  as  some 
of  the  samples  of  that  body  found  in  commerce.  The  sample  I  have 
made  begins  to  boil  at  200°  C,  and  soon  rises  to  210°,  at  which  point 
eight-tenths  distil  over,  and  the  remainder  comes  over  at  215°.  Pure- 
creasote  is  stated  in  the  books  to  boil  at  210°.  Guaiacol  refracts- 
light  strongly,  and  has  the  taste  as  well  as  the  general  physical  pro- 
perties of  creasote.  It  is  soluble  in  glacial  acetic  acid,  but  insoluble- 
in  pure  glycerin. 
It  appeared  interesting  to  compare  this  body  with  creasote  as  found 
in  commerce,  more  especially  as  some  attention  has  lately  been  drawn* 
to  the  fact,  that  creasote  is  sometimes  sold  consisting  mainly  of  car- 
bolic or  crysylic  acid,  or  other  products  of  the  distillation  of  coal  in- 
stead of,  as  it  ought  to  be,  wood. 
In  commerce  we  find  two  kinds  of  creasote,  said  to  be  derived  from? 
wood,  one  well  known  in  England,  manufactured  by  Messrs.  Morsoifc 
and  Son — which  I  shall  call  "English"  creasote — is  said  to  be  made 
from  Stockholm  tar,  and  if  so,  is  the  product  of  pine-wood  probably. 
The  other,  of  German  manufacture,  is  said  to  be  the  product  of  beech- 
*wood.  Of  the  common  German  coal-tar  creasote,  I  have  made  no 
special  note,  but  have  employed  pure  carbolic  acid  in  all  cases  to  re- 
present the  coal-tar  or  phenylic  product. 
English  creasote  commences  to  boil  at  200°,  but  almost  immediately 
rises  to  213°,  at  which  about  six  per  cent,  passes  over ;  the  tempera- 
