Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
December,  1896.  j 
A  romadendrin. 
once  with  absolute  alcohol,  or  dried  as  much  as  possible  on  a  porous 
slab,  recrystallized  from  boiling  absolute  alcohol,  dried  again  on  the 
slab,  and  then  crystallized  twice  from  boiling  water.  When  the 
substance  is  dissolved  in  boiling  water,  it  becomes  a  jelly-like  mass 
on  cooling,  the  fine  acicular  crystals  holding  the  water  mechanically. 
The  water  is  filtered  off  as  much  as  possible,  and  the  crystalline 
mass  placed  on  a  porous  slab  to  dry.  When  thus  prepared,  the 
substance  is  quite  white,  and  has  the  appearance  of  paper  pulp, 
the  interlaced  hair-like  crystals  giving  it  a  peculiar  matted  appear- 
ance, having  a  silky  lustre,  and  totally  distinct  in  physical  appear- 
ance from  "  eudesmin."  When  these  two  bodies  are  prepared 
under  like  conditions  they  are  both  white,  but  "  eudesmin  "  has 
the  appearance  of  small  scales,  and  separates  in  particles,  while 
Aromadendrin  has  the  appearance  of  flakes  of  matted  material. 
This  difference  in  appearance  is  very  marked. 
COLOR  REACTIONS,  ETC.,  OF  AROMADENDRIN. 
When  the  dry  substance  is  treated  with  concentrated  sulphuric 
acid,  the  solution  becomes  of  a  fine  yellow  color,  which  fades  and 
darkens  on  standing  some  time,  thus  differing  entirely  in  this  reaction 
from  "  eudesmin,"  which  gives  a  purple  color  under  like  conditions. 
With  nitric  acid  it  gives  a  fine  crimson  color,  thus  differing  from 
*'  eudesmin,"  which  gives  a  yellow  color  with  this  reagent.  Potash 
gives  a  fine  yellow  color. 
When  dissolved  in  the  smallest  quantity  of  glacial  acetic  acid, 
and  water  added,  nothing  is  precipitated,  but,  after  some  time,  hair- 
like tufts  of  radiating  crystals  form.  This  is  also  a  characteristic 
reaction  differing  from  "  eudesmin  ;"  because,  when  "  eudesmin  "  is 
dissolved  in  the  smallest  quantity  of  glacial  acetic  acid  and  water 
added,  the  first  drop  causes  turbidity;  if,  now,  enough  water  be 
added  to  cause  the  whole  to  remain  turbid,  beautiful  crystals  soon 
form,  the  turbidity  disappearing  and  the  whole  becomes  crystallized. 
This  is  an  easy  method  whereby  to  obtain  "  eudesmin  "  crystallized 
in  well-shaped  and  fair-sized  crystals. 
The  melting  point  of  Aromadendrin  was  found  to  be  21 6°  C. 
(uncorrected)  on  the  surface  of  mercury ;  the  previous  melting 
point  was  evidently  taken  on  impure  material,  and  not  free  from 
"  eudesmin."  Chloroform  does  not  dissolve  Aromadendrin,  but  it 
readily  dissolves  "  eudesmin." 
