236 
ON  PERU  BALSAM. 
with  these  tests ;  that  of  Hopkin  and  Williams  also  had  an  acrid 
taste. 
6.  The  distinctive  appelation,  "  English  Aconitia,"  is  wrong 
(in  the  sense  in  which  it  has  been  used  in  Europe.) 
7.  There  exists  a  base  entirely  distinct  from  aconitia,  of  un- 
certain origin,  but  probably  derived  from  aconite  tubers  (bikh) 
of  Nepal  and  other  Alpine  countries  of  the  Himalayas. 
8.  This  pseudaconitia  was  first  noticed  by  Yon  Schroff,  who 
named  it  English  or  Morson's  aconitia.  Wiggers  proposed  the 
name  of  napellina.  Fliickiger  called  it  nepalina.  Ludwig  sug- 
gested acraconitia. 
9.  Pseudaconitia  does  not  soften  in  boiling  water,  is  at  100° 
C.  not  colored  by  concentrated  phosphoric  acid,  has  a  burning, 
not  a  bitter  taste.  It  is  insoluble  in  water,  little  soluble  in  ether, 
chloroform  and  alcohol,  but  crystallizes  from  these  hot  solutions 
readily  in  large  prisms. 
10.  Napellina  is  difi'erent  from  aconitia  and  pseudaconitia. 
11.  Lycoctonina  is  likewise  a  well  defined  alkaloid,  charac- 
terized by  the  readiness  with  which  it  crystallizes  after  fusion, 
on  being  moistened  with  water ;  also  by  the  behaviour  of  its 
aqueous  solutions  to  bromine  water  and  iodohydrargyrate  of  po- 
tassium (the  precipitates  on  standing,  crystallize  readily.) 
J.  M.  M. 
ON  PERU  BALSAM. 
By  K.  Kraut. 
To  obtain  Stoltze's  oil  of  Peru  balsam  (Frdmy's  cinnamein),  two 
pounds  of  the  balsam  are  mixed  with  the  same  quantity  of  ether, 
and  agitated  with  two  pounds  of  caustic  soda  solution,  contain- 
ing three  or  four  per  cent.  NaO.  After  the  separation  of  the 
ethereal  liquid,  the  treatment  with  ether  is  repeated  until  it  ceases 
to  take  up  oil.  The  alkaline  solution  yields  principally  resin, 
cinnamic  and  little  benzoic  acid.  The  ethereal  solution,  after 
the  distillation  and  evaporation  of  the  ether,  yields  nearly  60 
per  cent,  of  oil.  By  fractional  distillation  under  reduced  pres- 
sure and  in  a  current  of  carbonic  acid,  three  portions  are  ob- 
tained : 
1.  At  about  200°  C.  very  little  benzalcohol,  not  quite  pure. 
