116  RED  SANDAL  WOOD  AND  XANTHOSANTALIC  ACID. 
quence  of  the  presence  of  a  portion  of  Brazil-wood,  which,  it  is 
said,  is  sometimes  intermixed  with  the  sandal  wood.  But  I  know 
not  how  to  apologize  for  his  statement,  that  in  water,  "  even 
when  assisted  by  potash  or  soda,  the  solution  is  incomplete,11 
For,  as  will  be  subsequently  seen,  I  found  nothing  to  act  so  en- 
ergetically as  a  solvent  of  the  santalin  as  potash.  Bancroft's 
assertion  would  be  strictly  true  if  he  had  said  carbonate  of 
potash. 
I  subjected  two  drachms  of  the  saw-dust  of  sandal  wood,  by 
displacement,  to  the  action  of  alcohol  of  the  sp.  gr.  .854,  at  a 
temperature  varying  from  50°  to  60°,  and  found  that  after  nine 
fluid  ounces  had  passed  through,  the  liquid  ceased  to  be  colored. 
The  first  few  ounces  of  the  filtrate  were  blood-red  ;  the  last  drain- 
ings,  light  brownish  red  ;  the  total  filtrate,  a  rich  crimson.  The 
residue, in  the  displacer,  when  washed  in  distilled  water,  still  ap- 
pearing red,  was  treated  with  alcohol  of  greater  strength, 
first  cold,  then  boiling,  and  under  considerable  pressure ;  but 
scarcely  a  tinge  was  given  to  the  spirits. 
The  alcohol  was  now  decanted,  the  saunders  again  washed, 
and  subjected  to  the  action  of  a  solution  of  potash  ;  this  instantly 
became  a  dark  red  :  and  the  saunders  filtered  out,  retained  no 
redness,  but  when  dried  had  a  snuff-brown  color ;  this  color  is 
not,  I  think,  owing  to  the  action  of  the  potash  on  the  wood,  but 
to  the  capillary  retention  of  the  compound  of  potash  and  san- 
talin among  its  fibres. 
Sulphuric  acid,  dilute  and  strong,  and  hydrochloric  acid  ex. 
tract  but  little  color  from  red-saunders ;  nitric  acid  appears  to 
have  a  greater  attraction  for  the  woody  fibre  than  the  other 
mineral  acids,  and  furnishes  a  raw  sienna  color. 
Acetic  acid  appears  to  be  one  of  the  best  solvents  of  the  color- 
ing matter.  It  acts  promptly  on  the  wood ;  and  by  boiling  it 
with  the  sandal-wood  dust,  exhausts  more  of  its  tingent  proper- 
ties than  even  alcohol  does.  It  likewise  retains  the  richness  of 
the  color  of  the  santalin  and  makes,  without  addition,  a  bright 
writing  ink.  Yet,  after  repeated  drenchings  with  boiling  acetic 
acid,  the  saunders  dust  retained,  when  dried,  a  perceptible  hue 
of  red  ;  but  yielded,  neither  to  fresh  portions  of  acetic  acid  nor 
to  strong  alcohol,  any  color.  Solution  of  potash,  however,  im- 
mediately rendered  this  otherwise  exhausted  dust,  almost  black, 
like  wet  ulmin,  and  extracted  a  currant-juice  color  from  it.  Thus 
