12 
Gum  fj-om  the  Oil  Tree. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pbarm, 
\    January,  18i  8 
a  solid  mass,  as  did  also  potassium  hydrate  when  it  was  fused  and  the  material 
added  to  it ;  the  resulting  mass  showed  no  tendency  to  liquefy  by  further  heat- 
ing, nor  would  it  dissolve  in  water. 
The  original  material  seemed  to  be  separated  from  this  by  treating  with 
diluted  acid  in  excess,  shaking  with  ether,  separating  and  evaporating  the 
ethereal  layer. 
About  6o  grammes  of  the  original  material  were  mixed  with  water  in  a  flask, 
the  latter  attached  to  a  condenser,  and  heat  applied  ;  the  water  distilled  over, 
leaving  the  material  in  the  flask  apparently  unchanged.  No  oily  layer  sepa- 
rated from  the  distillate,  thereby  indicating  the  absence  of  volatile  oil,  and 
determining  at  once  the  important  distinction  of  this  substance  from  copaiba 
balsam. 
The  distillate  was  practically  clear  and  colorless,  neutral  to  litmus  paper,  and 
gave  no  color  with  ferric  chloride.  An  aromatic  odor  was  exhaled  during  the 
distillation,  and  was,  to  a  less  degree,  noticeable  in  the  distillate.  The  water 
remaining  in  the  flask  with  the  material  had  the  same  properties  as  the  distil- 
late, and  had  dissolved  nothing.  Heat  was  then  further  applied  to  the  flask 
and  its  contents  until  all  the  water  was  removed.  The  temperature  was  then 
increased  and  the  material,  by  a  decomposition  similar  to  that  known  as 
"cracking"  in  the  distillation  of  petroleum,  distilled  until  about  90  per  cent, 
had  passed  into  the  receiver.  The  residue  then  began  to  coke  and  emit  smoky 
vapors.  The  black,  tarry  residue  solidified  on  cooling.  The  last  portion  of 
the  distillate  had  a  reddish  color,  and  a  strong  fluorescence,  similar  to  that  seen 
in  paraffin  oils — the  odor  of  this  portion  was  distinctly  that  of  petroleum.  The 
first  distillates  were  yellow  and  had  an  aromatic  odor ;  these  were  mixed  and 
redistilled.  The  distillation  began  at  about  1500  C;  about  three-fourths  of  the 
mixture  passed  over  between  that  temperature  and  3600  C.  When  this  point 
was  reached  the  residue  in  the  flask  had  a  reddish  color,  a  petroleum-like  odor 
and  fluorescence  like  the  previously-described  fraction.  Both  processes  were 
evidently  accompanied  by  destructive  distillation. 
The  specific  gravity  of  the  original  material  was  slightly  higher  than  water, 
although  it  floated  on  the  latter  liquid,  owing,  no  doubt,  to  occluded  air.  No 
nitrogen  was  found  to  be  present. 
The  substance  is  either  a  resinous  body,  very  poor  in  oxygen,  or  else  a  hydro- 
carbon, or  a  mixture  of  several  of  them.  Its  physical  properties,  no  doubt, 
suggest  a  resemblance  to  copaiba  balsam,  and  therefore  the  specific  name 
of  the  tree;  but  in  composition  and  chemical  properties  it  bears  no  relation 
to  either  copaiba  balsam  or  gurjun  balsam. 
Its  behavior  under  high  temperature  indicated  some  relation  to  fixed  oils. 
(See  Sadtler  on  the  "  Destructive  Distillation  of  Lmseed  Oil,"  American  Jour- 
nal OF  Pharmacy,  1896,  p.  485.)    It  is  probably  medicinally  inert. 
In  considering  the  peculiar  behavior  of  the  gum  when  heated,  it 
is  of  interest  to  learn,  through  Mr.  Fawcett,  that  the  trees  when 
tapped  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  yield  a  copious  supply  of  the 
gum,  and  that  this  liquid  was  formerly  used  by  the  negroes  for 
burning  in  lamps ;  when  so  burned  it  is  said  to  emit  a  very  dis- 
agreeable odor. 
