Am-  Jour.  Pharrn. 
Jan.,  1892. 
African  Copaiba  "So-called! 
33 
theoretical  quantity  of  ammonium  sulphide.  It  crystallizes  from 
alcohol  in  brownish-yellow  needles,  melts  at  125-126°,  and  is  insol- 
uble in  water.  The  hydrochloride  crystallizes  in  brown  scales,  and 
on  treatment  in  alcoholic  solution  with  ethyl  nitrite,  gives  a  dinitro- 
butyltoluene,  which  could  not  be  crystallized. 
Tertiary  butylmetaxylene,  C6H3Me2-CMe3  [Me2 :  CMe3  =1:3:5], 
can  be  prepared  by  boiling  metaxylene  either  with  isobutyl  bromide 
or  tertiary  butyl  bromide  in  the  presence  of  aluminium  chloride.  It 
is  a  colorless  liquid  which  bails  at  200-202°  under  747  mm.  pres- 
sure, and  on  oxidation  with  nitric  acid,  yields  mesitylenic  acid,  and 
with  chromic  acid,  trimesic  acid.  The  /r/^z/rtf-derivative,  CMe3. 
C6Me2(N02)3,  crystallizes  from  alcohol  in  yellowish- white  needles, 
melts  at  1  io°,  and  has  a  strong,  musk-like  odor  ;  the  ftz/n?-derivative, 
CMe3-C6H2Me2-N02,  formed  by  adding  fuming  nitric  acid  to  a  cold 
acetic  acid  solution  of  the  hydrocarbon,  crystallizes  from  alcohol  in 
white  needles  which  melt  at  85°,  and  have  a  cinnamon-like  odor. 
Butylethylbenzene ',  C6H4Et-CMe3,  is  formed  by  the  condensation  ot 
ethylbenzene  and  isobutyl  bromide  in  the  presence  of  aluminium 
chloride,  and  is  separated  from  the  butyltoluene  and  butylbenzene 
produced  in  the  reaction  by  fractional  distillation  at  200-205°.  It 
resembles  butyltoluene  in  properties,  and  yields  a  trinitro-derivativQ, 
CMe3-C6HEt(N02)3,  which  is  more  soluble  in  alcohol  than  artificial 
musk,  and  has  a  strong  musk-like  odor. 
Among  the  secondary  products  of  the  reaction  between  pure 
toluene  and  pure  isobutyl  bromide  in  the  presence  of  aluminium 
chloride,  are  butylbenzene,  butylxylene,  butylethylbenzene,  dibutyl- 
benzene,  and  dibutyltoluene,  and  these  substances  are  present  in  the 
fraction  170-2000,  which  was  formerly  used  instead  of  pure  tertiary 
butyltoluene  in  the  preparation  of  artificial  musk. 
AFRICAN  COPAIBA  «  SO-CALLED." 
By  John  C.  Umney,  Ph.C. 
During  the  present  year  two  consignments  at  least  of  a  copai- 
erous  (?)  oleo-resin  have  been  exported  by  the  Niger  Company 
from  West  Africa  to  the  port  of  London,  the  produce,  it  is  ^aid,  of 
the  district  of  the  Niger  basin.  The  substance  has  been  offered  on 
several  occasions  as  Balsam  Copaiba  without  finding  a  bidder  or  pur- 
chaser at  public  auction.  The  appearance  of  such  an  import  is 
interesting,  inasmuch  as  several  species  of  Copaifera  are  known  to 
