When boiled with alcoholic potassa, safrol is changed to isosafrol.

1) Observations made in the laboratory of Schimmel & Co.

2) Recueil des trav. chim. des P.-B. 4 (1885), 32; Berl. Berichte 23 (1890), 862.

3) Henrard, Chem. Weekblad 4 (1907), 630; Chem. Zentralbl. 1907, II. 1512.

For this compound, which possibly occurs in ylang-ylang oil, the following constants have been determined: d15o 1,124 to 1,129; nD20o1,580.l) B. p. 253 to 254°; dl5o 1,126.2)

With an excess of bromine, isosafrol yields a pentabromide, m. p. 196,5 to 197o.3) Oxidized with chromic acid, it yields piperonal (heliotropin).

In commercial isosafrol, Hoering and Baum4) have demonstrated the presence of two geometric isomers, which they designated a- and B-zsosafrol and of which the latter predominates by far. They are distinguishable only by their odor and their physical constants. Those of a-isosafrol lie between those of safrol and B-isosafrol. Chemically no difference could be observed between the two Isocompounds.