Dr. Kane on the Composition of certain Essential Oils. 143 



V, OIL OF SPEARMINT. — (MENTHA VIRIDIS.) 



The oil of spearmint is stated by Brande to have a specific gravity 0.939. 

 That which I found in commerce had, in the rough state, a specific gravity 

 0.9142, and when freed by distillation of a considerable quantity of stearopten, 

 0.876. It boiled pretty constantly at 320° F. It gave by analysis as follows : 



A. Material = 0.3087 gramme gave 



Water = 0.311 



Carbonic acid = 0.954 



B. Material = 0.350 gramme gave 



Water = 0.350 



Carbonic acid = 1.075 



C. Material = 0.4284 gramme gave 



Water = 0.439 

 Carbonic acid = 1.327 

 Hence the per cent, composition : 



A. B. C. 



Carbon = 85.44 84.94 85.66 



Hydrogen = 11.19 11.11 11.38 



Oxygen = 3.36 3.95 2.96 



These results give the formula C35 Hjg o ; that is, 

 C3J = 214.9 85.67 



Hjg = 28.0 11.15 



o = 8.0 3.18 



100.0 



100.0 



250.9 100.0 



This formula, like that of oil of origanum, may be represented by a multiple 

 of oil of turpentine + oxygen z=*J \c^n^\ -\-o. It is however impossible to 

 make any deduction from these facts with respect to its nature. 



VI. OIL OF LAVENDER. (LAVANDULA SPICA.) 



The oil of lavender is remarkable for containing, probably, more stearopten 

 than any other essential oil, the quantity itself being variable with the season and 



VOL. XVIII. X 



