lOO    Behavior  of  Cymene  in  the  Animal  Organism,  {^'^'^t^l'Jzo^'^' 
some  cymene.  Essence  of  lavender  consists  of  terpene,  25  borneol 
(|)  and  camphor  (|-),  65  ;  resin,  10  per  cent. 
Oil  of  Spike. —  This  oil,  obtained  from  Lavandula  spica  latifolia^ 
is  a  colorless  liquid,  which  in  time  thickens  and  darkens  in  color. n^It  has 
an  acid  reaction,  and  sp.  gr.  0*9081  at  15°.  Its  odor  resembles  that  of 
lavender.  Its  composition  is  almost  identical  with  that  of  essence  of 
lavender,  but,  as  it  contains  more  hydrocarbon,  it  begins  to  boil  at 
170-175°.  It  is  laevorotatory.  Its  composition  is  as  follows  :  Ter- 
pene, 35  ;  borneol  and  camphor,  55  ;  resin,  10  per  cent. — jlour.  Chem.. 
Soc.^  Jan,  1880,  p.  50. 
BEHAVIOR  OF  CYMENE  IN  THE  ANIMAL  ORGANISM. 
By  Jacobsen. 
As  cymene  has  been  prepared  from  normal  propyl  iodide  and  para- 
bromotoluene,  and  as  the  author  has  shown  that  the  hydrocarbon  pro- 
duced from  parabromocumene  and  methyl  iodide  is  not  cymene,'but  ar^ 
isomeride,  no  doubt  would  remain  regarding  the  constitution  of  cymene 
were  it  not  for  two  reactions.  The  first  of  these,  noticed  by  Kraut 
and  confirmed  by  the  author,  is  that  cymene  is  produced  by  the  action 
of  zinc  dust  on  cymyl  alcohol,  and  the  second  is  the  oxidation  of 
cymene  in  the  organism  to  cuminic  acid,  observed  by  Nencki  and 
Ziegler.  Both  of  these  results  are  unfavorable  to  the  theory  that 
cymene  contains  a  normal  propyl  group.  In  the  present  paper,  the 
author  gives  an  account  of  a  repetition  of  Nencki  and  Ziegler's  experi- 
ments. 
The  cymene  was  administered  to  a  dog,  and  its  urine,  after  evapora- 
tion, was  acidified  and  shaken  with  ether.  After  distillating  off  the 
ether,  the  residue  gave  a  copious  precipitate  with  hydrochloric  acid, 
which  was  found  for  the  most  part  to  consist  of  cuminuric  acid^ 
C12H15NO3.  The  filtrate  from  this  precipitate  gave  a  distillate  con- 
taining a  little  paraxyiylic  acid,  showing  that  the  cymene  administered 
to  the  dog  had  contained  a  little  pseudocumene. 
Cuminuric  acid  melts  at  168°,  and  volatilizes  without  decomposition.. 
It  is  almost  insoluble  in  cold,  but  comparatively  easily  soluble  in  warm 
water ;  it  dissolves  with  the  greatest  readiness  in  alcohol    ether,  how- 
