Liquid storax contains styrol (10 to 15 per cent.), styracin, and cinnamic acid (10 to 15 per cent.). Styrol or cinnamol seems to be the most important carrier of the odor and taste of liquid storax. If 20 parts of liquid storax are subjected to distillation together with 15 parts of crystallized soda and 200 parts of water, the cinnamol collects in the form of a yellowish, very mobile liquid upon the distillate. By rectification it can be obtained colorless, but is thereby partially converted into metastyrol, an isomeric, amorphous, odorless, and tasteless substance which is solid at an ordinary temperature. By exposure for some time to a heat of 608° F. it is reconverted into styrol. Styrol (C_{8}H_{8}) forms a clear, colorless, mobile liquid having an odor of benzine and naphthalene. Its specific gravity is 0.924 and its boiling point lies at 294.8° F. In water it is but sparingly soluble, but is miscible in all proportions with anhydrous spirit of wine, chloroform, benzine, ether, and oils. It stands in the same relation to cinnamic acid as benzol to benzoic acid, and is formed by distilling a mixture of cinnamic acid and barium oxide. Styracin is cinnyl cinnamate. On distilling liquid storax with water, styrol passes over. If now from the residue the cinnamic acid be withdrawn by means of soda-solution, and the resin, which remains behind, be treated with cold spirit of wine, styracin is left, which crystallizes from ether, hot alcohol, or benzol. It forms colorless, odorless, and tasteless crystals which melt at 113° F. and remain for a long time fluid after melting. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in 25 parts cold, and 2 parts boiling, spirit of wine, as well as in 5 parts ether. By oxidizing substances it is converted into bitter almond oil and benzoic acid, and by the action of potassium hydroxide it is decomposed to cinnyl alcohol and cinnamic acid. Good liquid storax should yield to 90 per cent. alcohol at least so much soluble matter that the dried residue of the filtered alcoholic solution amounts to 65 per cent. of the quantity of storax. Ordinary liquid storax, which has not been stored too long, contains 10 to 20 per cent. of water and about the same quantity of impurities (fragments of plant tissue) which remain behind on treatment with the above-mentioned solvents.