THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



8i 



Kewensis. It is also the spelling accept- 

 ed by Bentham and Hooker, Gray, and 

 others. On the other hand, in the first 

 edition of Linne's Species Plantariim 

 (1753) we find the word again spelled 

 "Evonymus," and this was accepted and 

 followed by De CandoUe, Baillon, Engler 

 and Prantl, and others. Curiously 

 enough, however, some of the latter . 

 failed to apply the same rule of spelling 

 to other words likewise beginning with 

 "Eu" betorea vowel. Thus De CandoUe 

 coins the term "Euoklenburgia" (instead 

 of "Evoldenburgia"); Baillon, "Euonco- 

 ba" (instead of "Evoncoba,") etc. The 

 Index Keivensis accepts the spelling 

 "Ev" only in the following recognized 

 genera : Evacidium (Pomel 1875), 

 Evayidra (R. Brown, 18 10), Evax 

 (Gaertner, 1791; of doubtful origin), and 

 Evodia (Foster, 1776). And the spell- 

 ing "Eu" in the following; Euadenia 

 (Oliver, 1S67), and Eiionyvius (Linn6, 

 Hort. Clifford. (1737) pg. 39)- 



While there is apparently sufficient 

 authority to adopt the spelling "Evony- 

 mus," if L,inne's Species Plantarum (ed. 

 of 1753) is made the basis, the form 

 "Euonymus" is,orthographically, better 

 supported, and is also more in harmony 

 with the ordinary pronunciation of the 

 word ("yoo-onymus") by English and 

 American botanists. The form "Evony- 

 mus" is a phonetic concession to some of 

 the modern languages. 



TERBPENELESS VOLATILE OILS. 



By Prof. VIRGIL COBLENTZ. 



The older method of the classification 

 of the volatile oils into those containing 

 oxygen and those free from this has been 

 dropped, since in many of those oils 

 which were formerly looked upon as 

 being free from oxygen are now found to 

 contain this, in the residual portions, 

 their presence having been overlooked 

 by the early investigators, since in some 



instances they existed in only very small 

 amounts. 



As far back as 1840 Volckel and 

 Schweitzer, in examining the oil of car- 

 away, separated a portion which pos- 

 sessed the characteristic odor, from the 

 relative inodorous constituent. Eater, 

 Volckel demonstrated that this odor- 

 ous constituent contained oxygen, nam- 

 ing it carvol. Eater investigators have 

 verified this work and tound that the oil 

 contained from 45 to 65 per cent, of this 

 carvol (odorous constituent), the balance 

 consisting of an inodorous terpene limo- 

 nene Cio Hig. This work has been fol- 

 lowed up by such investigators as Wal- 

 lach, Semmler, Fliickiger, Geissler and 

 others, who have cleared up the matter 

 concerning the nature and constituents 

 of the larger number of the volatile oils. 

 The majority of the volatile oils consist 

 of a mixture of two or more bodies ; one 

 class of these we designate by the gen- 

 eral name terpene, the other class con- 

 stitute the oxygenated portion to which 

 in main the odor of the oil is due. These 

 tei penes, that is to say, hydrocarbons 

 of the general formula (Ci„ Hie (fraction 

 or multiple thereof), include a large 

 number of bodies ; their difference in 

 composition may be explained through 

 cheir isomeric and polymeric forms. They 

 are, as a class, comparatively inactive ; 

 on exposure to air they readily absorb 

 oxygen, resinify and take on an unpleas- 

 ant terebinthinate odor and taste, which 

 is, of coarse very destructive to the odor 

 and flavor of the volatile oil of which it 

 may be a constituent. This is particularly 

 evident in the caseof the oils of lemon and 

 orange, where the value depends upon 

 the delicacy of the odor and flavor. These 

 terpenes possess a lower density than the 

 oils from which they are obtained, par- 

 take no part in the flavor of the oil, in- 

 soluble in dilute alcohol ; hence, the 

 solubility of the oil depends largely on 



