148 WHITE AND OPAQUE VARIETY OF AMBER. 
ART.-XXV. NOTE UPON THE WHITE AND OPAQUE VARIETY 
OF AMBER. By C. Recluz, Pharmacien at Vaugirard. 
It has been eight years since I remarked that Amber of the 
white opaque variety, when chewed, had a marked acrid 
taste, much more so than the brown variety, when treated in 
the same way. I concluded, from this first experiment, that 
the first variety must contain more succinic acid than the se- 
cond, but not having been able to procure enough of it to sub- 
mit to distillation, I postponed, to another period, the project 
of verifying my conclusion. 
In January of this year, I procured half a pound of white 
opaque amber, containing, however, portions of the brown va- 
riety, because it was impossible to separate it entirely from 
the colored portions. 
These eight ounces, submitted to distillation, afforded me 
oz. dr. 
Impure succinic acid, such as is employed in 
medicine, . . . . 6 
Spirit of Jimber, . . . . 2 
Unrectified oil of Amber, . . . 5 
Total, . . . , . 6 
Loss, . .... 2 
The brown amber submitted to the same operation, in the 
same proportions, afforded me 
oz. dr. 
Impure succinic acid, 
. . 3 
Spirit of Amber, . 
.*'; . 02 
Unrectified oil of Amber, 
5 
Total, 
. ' 5 . 5 
Loss, 
2 3 
These operations, repeated 
comparatively twice, have al- 
