Benzoin

“ The worst quality is sold as “benzoin sorts,” consisting of brownish pieces without white spots; they are often mixed with splinters of wood, bast fibres, and fragments of leaves, and can be used only for cheap perfumes.
Good benzoin, besides the qualities named, must have a sweetish and burning sharp taste, it should be very friable, and when heated in a porcelain capsule should emit vapors (benzoic acid) of an acrid taste and a pronounced aromatic odor; it should dissolve completely in strong alcohol. ”

“ Benzoin in tears (B. in lacrimis) , amygdaloid benzoin (B. amygdaloides) , and lump benzoin (B. in sortis, B. in massis) . The benzoin in tears forms loose, smoothly terminated, longish, homogeneously appearing masses of an opal-like lustre, and first of a whitish, and later on, of a yellowish, reddish, or brownish color. The separate pieces are up to 3 millimeters in diameter, though the Siam benzoin in tears frequently consists of still larger and generally decidedly flattened pieces. ”

“ It is obtained by making incisions in the bark of the trees, and appears to be formed as the result of the wound, not to be secreted normally. There are several varieties of benzoin in commerce: (1) Siam benzoin, which apparently does not come from Styrax benzoin, is the finest and most aromatic, and occurs in the form of small “tears,” rarely exceeding 2 in. ”

“ Benzoic acid and vanillin are the most important constituents. It is adulterated with Palembang benzoin, colophony, dammer, storax, and turpentine. Respecting the chemical investigation of commercial benzoin the above-mentioned work of K. Dieterich may also be referred to.
Benzoin is almost exclusively used for the preparation of chocolate varnish and sweets laquer, which are prepared by dissolving from 25 to 45 grammes of the laquer body in 100 grammes of strong spirit. The laquer body may contain varying quantities of benzoin and bleached shellac. ”

“ Benzoic acid, or flowers of benzoin, a peculiar vegetable acid, C6H5.CO2H, obtained from benzoin, and some other balsams, by sublimation or decoction. It is also found in the urine of infants and herbivorous animals. It crystallizes in the form of white, satiny flakes; its odor is aromatic; its taste is pungent, and somewhat acidulous. Ð Benzoic aldehyde, oil of bitter almonds; the aldehyde, C6H5.CHO, intermediate in composition between benzoic or benzyl alcohol, and benzoic acid. It is a thin colorless liquid. ”

“ The inferior sorts of benzoin are exported to Arabia, Persia, and some parts of India, where they are burned, to perfume, with their smoke, the temples and the houses of the inhabitants; to expel troublesome insects, and obviate the pernicious effects of unwholesome air or noxious exhalations.
Benzoin is brought for sale to the mercantile parts of Sumatra, in large cakes, covered with mats. In order to pack it in chests, it is necessary to break these cakes, and to expose it to the heat of the sun. ”

“ The alcohol being drawn off by distillation, the remaining liquor contains the acid, and the resin floating upon it may be skimmed off and washed, when its weight will be found to amount to about 80 per cent. of the raw material. The benzoin contains traces of a volatile oil, and a substance soluble in water, at least through the agency of carbonate of potash. Ether does not dissolve benzoin completely. The fat and volatile oils dissolve very little of it. ”

“ It occurs naturally in some resins, especially in gum benzoin (from Styrax benzoin) , in dragon’s blood, and as a benzyl ester in Peru and Tolu balsams. It can be prepared by the oxidation of toluene, benzyl alcohol, benzaldehyde and cinnamic acid; by the oxidation of benzene with manganese dioxide and concentrated sulphuric acid in the cold (L. Carius, Ann. 1868, 148, p. 51) ; by hydrolysis of benzonitrile or of hippuric acid; by the action of carbon dioxide on benzene in the presence of aluminium chloride (C. Friedel and J.M. Crafts, Ann. chim. phys. 1888 [6] , 14, p. 441) ”

“ Benzoic acid is perfectly soluble in hot grease. Half an ounce of benzoic acid being dissolved in half a pint of hot olive or almond oil, deposits on cooling beautiful acicular crystals, similar to the crystals that effloresce from vanilla beans; a portion of the acid, however, remains dissolved in the oil at the ordinary temperature, and imparts to it the peculiar aroma of benzoin ”

“ But the most important fact is that ammonium benzoate is largely used—often in combination with urinary anodynes such as tincture of hyoscyamus—as a urinary antiseptic in cases of cystitis (inflammation of the bladder) and pyelitis (inflammation of the pelvis of the kidney) .
BENZOIN, C6H5CHOH·CO·C6H5, a ketone-alcohol, which may be prepared by boiling an alcoholic solution of benzaldehyde with potassium cyanide; by reducing benzil (C6H5CO·CO·C6H5) with zinc and acetic acid; or by the oxidation of hydrobenzoin (C6H5-CHOH-CHOH-C6H5) . ”

“ By treating the latter, or the ferric benzoate, with dilute sulphuric acid and magnesium, the benzoic acid is reduced to benzaldehyde, which is recognized by its characteristic odor of oil of bitter almonds.
Nitrobenzol is obtained by treating benzol, or a mixture of it, with toluol and their higher homologues, with strong nitric acid, or a mixture of nitric and sulphuric acids, washing the product of reaction with water and soda, caustic soda or ammonia, expelling the unaltered hydrocarbons with steam and rectifying the residue. ”

“ The classical investigation of Liebig and Friedrich Wohler on the radical of benzoic acid (“Über das Radikal der Benzoë-säure,” Ann. Chem., 1832, 3, p. 249) is to be regarded as a most important contribution to the radical theory, for it was shown that a radical containing the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which they named benzoyl (the termination yl coming from the Gr. ὔλη, matter) , formed the basis of benzaldehyde, benzoic acid, benzoyl chloride, benzoyl bromide and benzoyl sulphide, benzamide and benzoic ether. ”

“ Benzol, Nitrate of. See Nitro-Benzol.
BENZOLINE. A product of the fractional distillation of American rock oil. If used for burning purposes, care should always be taken to use a sponge lamp, so as to ensure the benzoline vapour (which is extremely inflammable) being well diluted with air when burnt.
BENZOYL. C7H5O. The radical of an extensive series of compounds, of which the hydride, C7H5OH (essential oil of bitter almonds) , and benzoic acid, HC7H5O2 are the most important members. ”

“ By the action of sodium amalgam on an aqueous solution of the acid, benzyl alcohol, tetrahydrobenzoic acid and hexahydrobenzoic acid are formed. The salts of benzoic acid are known as the benzoates and are mostly soluble in water. They are readily decomposed by mineral acids with the production of benzoic acid, and on addition of ferric chloride to their neutral solutions give a reddish-brown precipitate of ferric benzoate. ”

“ Benzol. “Solvent naphtha” or 160-degree benzol is a product obtained from the distillation of coal tar, differing from benzine, a product obtained from the distillation of petroleum. It is a valuable thinner to use in the reduction of paints for the priming of resinous lumber and refractory woods such as cypress and yellow pitch pine. The penetrating and solvent values of benzol are high, and it often furnishes a unison between paint and wood, that is a prime foundation to subsequent coatings, preventing the usual scaling and sap exudations which often appear on a painted surface. ”

“ The cooled reaction product is treated with 200 cc. of water, the layer of oil separated, washed once with a second portion of water, and subjected to distillation in vacuo. The first fraction of the distillate contains benzyl alcohol together with unchanged aldehyde, as well as a small quantity of water. The temperature then rises rapidly to the boiling-point of benzyl benzoate, when the receivers are changed. The product boils at 184-185'0/15 mm., and analysis by saponification shows it to consist of 99 per cent ester. A yield of 410-420 g. ”

“ He went upstairs and found the priest, a little timorous-looking man, dressed like a minister, pacing quickly to and fro in the tiny room at the top of the house where John and he were to sleep. The Frenchman seized his two hands and began to pour out in an agitated whisper a torrent of French and English. Robin disengaged himself.
"You must sit down, M. de Préau," he said, "and speak slowly, or I shall not understand one word. Tell me precisely what I must do. I am here to obey orders—no more. I have no design in my head at all. I will do what Mr. Bourgoign and yourself decide." ”

“ He shook his head.
“Very kind of you, I’m sure, Miss Elizabeth,” he said, “but I think I’ll hold myself in readiness to go across to poor old Puffin, if he feels up to it. I feel lost without my friend Puffin.”
[281] “But you must have no jolly evening, Major Benjy,” she said. “So bad for him. A little soup and a good night’s rest. That’s the best thing. Perhaps he would like me to go in and read to him. I will gladly. Tell him so from me. And if you find he doesn’t want anybody, not even you, well, there’s a slice of plum-pudding at your neighbour’s, and such a warm welcome.” ”

“ If Benson had it——"
"He has it," said Toptit calmly. "That's why I sent word to the yamen—that message to you. Benson knows that I have the list. He won't go after the stuff until he's got me out of the way. Savvy? He knows now that I'm alive and kicking and still dangerous."
Hanecy regarded his compatriot with admiration.
"Say, I've underestimated you, old hoss! You're a cool devil. What's to hinder Benson going after the stuff while you're laid up here?" ”

“ NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods (NMAM) , Fourth Edition, 8/15/93 BENZIDINE in urine: METHOD 8304, Issue 2, dated 15 August 1993 - Page 2 of 4 REAGENTS:
EQUIPMENT:
1. Methyl alcohol. 2. Benzidine, 99% (CAUTION: CARCINOGEN) . * 3. Benzidine stock solution, 500 μg/mL. Weighed 50 mg benzidine. Dissolve in methyl alcohol to make 100 mL solution. Stable one month at -8°C. 4. Calibration stock solution, 10 μg/mL. * Dilute 1.00 mL benzidine stock solution to 50 mL with methyl alcohol. Prepare fresh daily. 5. Chloroform. 6. Hydrochloric acid. a. 1.0 N. Dilute 83 mL conc. ”

“ Benzol is a dreadful substance for spreading fire should it become ignited, for, being lighter than water, it floats upon its surface, and therefore the flames cannot be extinguished in the ordinary way. The discovery of the presence of benzol in coal-tar was made by Hofman in 1845. It is obtained from the light oil of coal-tar by first purifying this liquid by alternately distilling it with steam and treating with sulphuric acid several times. ”

“ And Major Benjy! Merry Christmas, Major Benjy. What a small company we are, but not the less Christmassy. No Mr. Wyse, no Susan, no Isabel. Oh, and no Captain Puffin. Not quite well again, Major Benjy? Tell me about him. Those dreadful fits of dizziness. So hard to understand.”
She beautifully succeeded in detaching the Major from the rest. With the peace that had descended on Tilling, she had forgiven him for having been made a fool of by the Contessa. ”

“ But if Captain Puffin had to be missed, she would certainly have chosen Major Benjy to be the person who missed him. Without wishing Captain Puffin any unpleasant experience, she would have borne with equanimity the news of his settled melancholia, or his permanent dizziness, for Major Benjy with his bright robustness was not the sort of man to prove a willing comrade to a chronically dizzy or melancholic friend. Nor would it be right that he should be so. Men in the prime of life were not meant for that. ”

“ Madge put a cigarette in his lips.
“Won’t you smoke?” she asked.
“No, it doesn’t taste. It’s like smoking in a tunnel. About Philip now?”
“He doesn’t take the correct attitude,” said she. “If he had, how could I have wanted to talk to you about him? He wants to help us, Evelyn. And he will arrive here to-night, unless we stop him on his way at Inverness or Golspie.”
The corners of his mouth were compressed; she knew he was frowning.
“Philip?” he said. “That isn’t Philip.”
“It wasn’t perhaps,” said Madge, “but it is, I think. Things have happened—Mr. Merivale is dead. Philip was there.” ”

“ He explained presently when Gertie had cooked another herring, and he had drunk a slop-basinful of tea, that he had walked fasting since breakfast, but he said nothing about the priest. The Major with an air of great preciseness measured out half a finger of whisky and insisted, with the air of a paternal doctor, upon his drinking it immediately.
"And now a cigarette, for God's sake," said Frank. "By the way, I've got some work for to-morrow."
"That's first-rate, my boy," said the Major. "I've been working myself this week."
Frank produced his fourpence and laid it on the corner of the table. ”

“ He always was a filthy brute—I never liked him. And you? Are you not married yourself?"
"No, indeed," said Benson, with an involuntary look at Cecelie, who, slim and graceful as a willow wand, was talking to the admiring captain.
"Shall we have some tea together?" pursued Mrs. Batsford-Wring hospitably. "You were very late finishin' your luncheon, weren't you?—but a cup of tea is refreshin' at any time. Now don't look at your watch, Bennie; you can't hurry off when we've so much to talk over. You'll have tea with us, Miss Sherwood?" ”

“ But——"
"You see," explained Benson calmly, "you're only an incident, but Hanecy is something else, again. He'll bring all the stuff with him that you and he have collected; I'll take the lot, thanks. Then Hanecy will watch while you're wiped out. The process of wiping out will be slow, and that'll hurt him bad—and I mean to hurt him to the soul before I'm done with him."
"You're a hell of a white man," was wrenched from Toptit. Then he forced himself to smile again. "Bet you ten dollars Jim doesn't fall into your trap." ”