Am.  jour.  Piiarm.)     Peru  Balsam  and  Its  Adulteration. 
January,  1921.  j 
25 
grav.  (1.146);  acid  number  48.8;  saponification  number  356,  cin- 
namein  content  70  per  cent,  and  saponification  number  for  the 
separated  cinnamein  382.  The  saponification  number  of  the 
balsam  as  well  as  the  saponification  number  of  the  cinnamein  are 
too  high.  For  normal  balsams  they  are  not  higher  than  260.  The 
acid  number  is  too  low.  Hence  an  adulteration  with  an  ester 
was  probable.  On  account  of  the  high  saponification  numbers, 
adulteration  with  the  methyl  ester  of  benzoic  acid  or  with  an  ester 
of  a  di-basic  acid  was  expected.  In  order  to  determine  this  matter 
to  a  certainty  the  aromatic  ester  was  separated  from  a  larger  sample 
of  the  balsam. 
By  saponifying  a  part  of  this  ester  with  alcoholic  potash  {J/2. 
normal)  needles  were  obtained,  which  were  collected  and  dissolved 
easily  in  water.  The  solution  was  acidified  and  separated  on 
standing  a  crystalline  powder,  which  when  heated  with  resorcinol 
and  sulphuric  acid  could  be  converted  into  fluorescein.  The  powder 
was  therefore  phtalic  acid.  Fractional  distillation  showed  that  the  aro- 
matic esters  distilled  for  the  larger  part  at  282°-286°.  It  is  therefore 
probable  that  most  of  it  consisted  of  the  dimethylester  of  phtalic 
acid,  which  has  often  been  reported  as  an  adulterant  for  cinnamein 
and  esential  oils.  The  adulteration  is  so  obvious,  that  quantitative 
tests  are  not  even  necessary  for  its  identification. 
If  one  drop  of  the  balsam  is  heated  to  boiling  with  100  milli- 
grams resorcinol  and  10  drops  of  sulphuric  acid,  fluorescein  is' 
formed  which  is  easily  detected  on  addition  of  alkali.  As  charring 
occurs  it  is  recommended  to  dilute  the  heated  liquid  with  water  be- 
fore adding  the  sodium  hydroxide  solution.  The  fluorescence  is  ob- 
tained in  this  way  between  the  layers. 
Pure  balsam  treated  in  this  way  only  shows  a  weak  fluorescein 
reaction. 
The  adulterated  balsam,  which  as  I  afterwards  was  informed 
is  put  on  the  market  as  Balsamum  peruvianum  syntheticum,  may 
also  be  recognized  by  the  test  published  by  Dietrich  (Ber.  d.  Deutsch. 
pharm.  Gesell.  1908,  p.  142) ,  as  follows  :  500  mgm.  to  1  gm.  balsam  are 
dissolved  in  ether  and  shaken  with  2  per  cent.  NaOH.  By  adding 
acid  to  the  alkaline  solution  the  resins  are  separated.  These  resins 
are  dissolved  in  ether  and  carefully  poured  on  sulphuric  acid.  Gen- 
uine peru  balsams  will  never  show  a  green  or  blue  layer,  not  even 
