166        Balsams  of  L.  Styraciflua  and  Orientate.  [Axj^iiuSS!!m 
the  recent  bark  of  Liquidambar  styraciflua  is  properly  comminuted 
and  carefully  steamed  or  digested  in  warm  water  and  afterwards  ex- 
pressed. 
Several  other  experiments  made  by  Mr.  Harrison  deserve  to  be 
mentioned,  as  possessing  considerable  interest. 
In  1871,  while  preparing  the  proximate  principles  of  storax,  I  ob- 
served the  solubility  of  styracin  in  petroleum  benzin,  and  at  the  Feb- 
ruary (1872)  meeting  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  ex- 
hibited* some  of  the  products  obtained,  among  them  styracin  prepared' 
by  the  processes  of  Simon  and  of  Toel,  which  could  not  be  obtained 
pure  by  crystallization  from  alcohol  without  sustaining  great  loss 
also  styracin  which  had  been  obtained  from  storax  previously  ex- 
hausted by  carbonate  of  sodium,  by  treating  the  residue  directly  with 
hot  petroleum  benzin,  which  on  cooling  deposited  it  at  once  pure.  It 
may  be  mentioned  here  that  this  storax  residue  was  repeatedly  treated 
in  the  same  manner,  when  it  was  observed  that  the  later  deposits  were 
amorphous,  but  became  crystalline  after  some  time,  the  interval  be- 
coming longer  after  each  subsequent  treatment,  until  finally  a  portion 
was  obtained  but  slightly  yellowish  in  color,  rather  soft  and  perfectly 
transparent ;  in  this  portion  the  change  into  the  crystalline  state  did 
not  commence  until  about  two  years  after  the  experiment  had  been 
made,  and  even  now,  after  a  period  of  thirty-two  months,  has  not 
been  completed,  notwithstanding  the  mass  has  been  occasionally  stir- 
red.   The  statement  of  Toel  that  fused  stvracin  which  refuses  to 
%/ 
crystallize,  congeals  rapidly  into  stellately  arranged  needles,  on  being, 
touched  with  a  pointed  instrument,  must  be  modified  with  the  proviso 
that  the  heat  be  not  applied  too  long  or  too  frequently  after  short  in 
tervals. 
After  Mr.  Harrison  had  observed  cinnamic  acid  to  be  readily  solu- 
ble in  hot  petroleum  benzin,  he  proved  also,  experimentally,  that  this 
acid  and  styracin  are  taken  up  together,  from  sweet  gum  as  well  as 
storax,  by  the  menstruum  mentioned,  and  crystallize  together  on  cool- 
ing; the  snow-white  crystals  yielded  t}  dilute  ammonia  all  the  cinnamic 
acid,  leaving  the  styracin  behind,  and  the  ammoniacal  solution  giving 
with  muriatic  or  sulphuric  acid  a  white  precipitate  of  cinnamic  acid. 
This  appears  to  be  by  far  the  quickest  way  of  obtaining  perfectly 
pure  cinnamic  acid  from  storax,  if  the  loss  of  styrol  is  of  no  conse- 
quence ;  and,  in  case  styracin  is  not  desired,  the  mixture  of  styracin* 
*See  Amer.  Journ.  of  Pharra.,  1872,  p.  134. 
