SY JAMES M. PETRIE. 145 



Concentrated sulphuric acid also produced a succession of 

 bright coloui's — brown, red, purple, and blue. That this colour 

 reaction is given by the exceedingly volatile constituent of the 

 oil was shown by placing a small quantity in a watch-glass inside 

 a desiccator, over sulphuric acid, when the latter quickly assumed 

 a deep purple tint. The oil lost more than half its volume when 

 kept in a desiccator at room temperature for a few days. 



When cooled for some time with ice and salt, a stearoptene 

 separated in the form of white crystals. It redissolved at about 

 10°C., when the oil was removed from the freezing mixture, and 

 probably consisted of safrol, the methylene ether of allyl dioxy- 

 benzene. The quantity was too small for examination. 



Fracfiunal Distillation, ~ -The volatile oil distilled over between 

 the following limits :— 



Tanptratiire. Volume. 



60-100°C. 4% 



100-200 16 



200-220 50 



220-230 12 



Residue 18 



The distillate up to 220° was white in colour, the higher fraction 

 was pale green. All the fractions possessed the odour and 

 pungent taste of clove-oil. At 230" the oil l:)egan to decompose 

 and the distillation was stopped. Tlie remaining tiuid in the 

 still was black, and solidified on cooling. 



The Essential Oil of the Leaves. — A sample of fresh leaves, 

 weighing lOOgms., was distilled with steam. The bulky aqueous 

 distillate was shaken out- with ether; and after removal of the 

 solvent, the oil was weighed. 



100 gms. fresh leaves, dried at 100°, lost 61 "60 gms. 



,, ,, contained... 1 72 gms. oil. 



59 "88 gms. moisture. 



The volatile oil amounts to 4'3°/ calculated on leaves dried at 

 lOO''. 



