Am.  Jour.  Pharm. "} 
Sept.,  1880.  J 
Eugenic  Acid. 
443 
taste,  from  which  it  was  found  impossible  to  separate  the  sugar  ;  2,  a 
greenish-yellow  resin  or  neutral  body,  of  a  bitter  taste,  slightly  soluble 
in  water,  freely  so  in  alcohol,  called  by  Kramer  viburnin  ;  3,  a  vol- 
atile acid  answering  to  all  the  tests  of  valerianic  acid  ;  4,  a  tannic 
acid,  giving  greenish-black  color  with  ferric  salts;  5,  oxalic  acid;  6, 
citric  acid  ;  7,  malic  acid  ;  8,  sulphates,  and,  9,  chlorides  of  calcium, 
magnesium,  potassium  and  iron. 
EUGENIC  ACID. 
By  L.  C.  Pettit. 
Extract  from  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
The  following  experiments  were  made  with  the  volatile  oils  of  cloves^ 
pimento  and  bay,  with  reference  to  the  amount  of  eugenic  acid  con- 
tained in  each  of  them  : 
A  strong  solution  of  caustic  potassa  was  added  to  the  oil  of 
cloves,  which  occasioned  a  yellowish-white  precipitate  ;  to  prevent 
the  mixture  becoming  solid  small  quantities  of  water  were  added,  and 
the  potassa  solution  was  added  as  long  as  it  produced  any  perceptible 
effect. 
When  an  excess  of  potassa  had  been  added  the  liquid  assumed  a 
deep  red  color,  and  lost  the  peculiar  odor  of  oil  of  cloves. 
The  mixture  was  transferred  to  a  glass  retort  connected  with  a 
Liebig  condenser,  but  the  excessive  bumping  prevented  distillation. 
After  adding  to  a  portion  of  the  liquid  a  number  of  fragments  of  glass 
and  placing  the  retort  on  a  sand-bath  the  distillation  was  proceeded 
with  until  the  residue  was  nearly  destitute  of  odor  ;  sulphuric  acid  was 
then  added  to  the  mixture,  which  set  free  the  eugenic  acid,  as  a  light- 
colored  oily  liquid,  that  changed  to  brown  in  a  short  time. 
Diluted  sulphuric  acid  was  added  to  the  solution  of  eugenate  of 
potassium  to  effect  decomposition,  and  then  the  whole  was  submitted  to 
distillation.  By  this  means  a  milk-like  mixture  of  eugenic  acid  and 
water  was  obtained,  that  became  clear  after  standing  for  several  days, 
the  eugenic  acid  falling  to  the  bottom  of  the  receiver  as  a  clear,  color- 
less oily  liquid,  which  remained  unchanged  while  it  was  protected  by  the 
water. 
When  the  acid  was  withdrawn  and  placed  over  strong  sulphuric 
acid  under  a  glass  receiver  it  assumed  a  deep  ruby-red  color,  and  the 
sulphuric  acid  changed  to  a  brown. 
