444 
Eugenic  Acid. 
(Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t      Sept.,  1880. 
A  portion  of  the  first  formed  solution  of  eugenate  of  potassium  was 
heated  to  drive  off  the  light  oil  of  cloves,  and  sufficient  sulphuric  acid 
was  added  to  neutralize  the  potassa,  alcohol  added  and  the  sulphate  of 
potassium  removed. 
This  alcoholic  solution  of  eugenic  acid  was  digested  with  animal 
charcoal  at  a  high  temperature  for  half  an  hour  without  decolorizing  it. 
One-half  of  this  solution  was  set  aside  to  crystallize,  the  other 
treated  with  diluted  sulphuric  acid. 
The  crude  eugenic  acid  was  washed  with  cold  water  and  rectified 
by  distillation  from  a  small  flask  by  the  heat  of  a  sand-bath. 
The  eugenic  acid  came  over  at  4i6°F.  (213*^0.)  as  a  clear,  color- 
less oily  liquid,  with  an  empyreumatic  odor  ;  a  black  charred  mass  was 
left  in  the  flask,  which  dissolved  in  liquor  potassa  and  was  wholly  vol- 
atilized by  heating  on  platinum  foil  ;  after  standing,  the  rectified  acid 
assumed  an  odor  resembling  oil  of  cloves,  had  a  hot  burning  taste  and 
became  colored  on  standing. 
The  amount  of  crude  acid  obtained  from  15*5  grams  of  oil  of 
cloves  in  the  above-mentioned  manner  was  I2"6  grams,  which  rectify- 
ing reduced  to  11 '2  grams,  or  about  72  per  cent. 
The  solution  of  eugenate  of  potassium  which  had  been  set  aside 
to  crystallize  yielded  a  solid  mass  of  feathery  white  crystals,  which 
were  washed  with  benzin  to  remove  the  mother  liquor,  drained  and 
dried  on  filtering  paper  at  a  low  temperature. 
One  decigram  of  the  eugenate  of  potassium  was  well  shaken  with 
10  grams  of  benzin,  the  liquid  decanted,  the  residue  carefully  dried, 
and  the  loss  was  found  to  be  'Oi  gram.  This  shows  that  it  requires 
1,000  parts  of  benzin  to  dissolve  one  of  eugenate  of  potassium. 
It  is  soluble  in  alcohol  and  glycerin,  and  is  decomposed  by  water  ; 
has  a  strong  odor  of  cloves,  and  a  hot,  acrid  taste  ;  with  liquorice  root 
and  tragacanth  it  can  be  readily  made  into  pills. 
Oil  of  pimento  was  treated  in  a  manner  similar  to  that  detailed  for 
the  oil  of  cloves,  and  the  results  were  somewhat  similar,  the  liquid, 
however,  becoming  a  deep  red  color  ;  the  residue  was  treated  as  in  the 
first  detailed  experiments,  with  similar  results,  the  acid  having  an  odor 
like  that  obtained  from  oil  of  cloves,  and  the  residuum  in  the  flask 
being  similar. 
Fifteen  and  a  half  grams  of  oil  of  pimento  gave  ii'i  grams  of 
crude  acid,  and  upon  rectification  9*5  grams  were  left;  this  gives 
61  per  cent. 
