I8olation of veratric acid. Some 800 oothecae of Blatta orientali8 were crushed in dilute aqueous potassium cyanide (c. 250 ml.) containing some sulphur. dioxide. After 3 hr. the mixture was filtered with the aid of 'Hyflo supercel'. The filtrate was weakly acid-to litmus. The residue was extracted further by allowing to stand for 2 hr. with water (300 ml.) which had been made just acid to Congo red with sulphuric, acid, and the procedure repeated until the extracts no longer gave a green colour with ferHic chloride. The com- bined filtrate and extracts were concentrated in vacuo under nitrogen to small bulk (c. 300 ml.), the concentrate filtered from a trace of solid material and extracted continuously with peroxide-free ether (700 ml.). The ethereal extract which con- tained all the material giving a coloration with ferric chloride was concentrated to one-third bulk and treated with ethereal diazomethane (from 10 g. nitroso-N-methylurea). After 2 days the ether was evaporated and the residue refluxed for 2 hr. with methanolic potassium hydroxide' (2 %).