224 



THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



potash used is noted. In my first set of 

 experiments very constant results are 

 found. In the first column the percent- 

 ages of potash used for saponifying the 

 original oil are given. The second figure 

 gives the amount of potash necessary to 

 saponify the acetylated oil, and the third 

 column gives the percentage of santalol 

 present in the original santal oil, assum- 

 ing, of course, the correctness of Chapo- 

 teaut's statements. 



No. Amount of KOH to sapouify. Percentage 



Original oil. Acetylated oil. of santalol.* 



i 0.96 per cent. 19. 33 per cent. 85 



2 0.88 " 19.09 '• 85 



3 0.85 " 18.66 '• 83 



4 0.62 " 19.26 " 87 



5 0.63 " 19.85 '.' 90 



* Decimals neglected. 



The first figure confirms Cripps' re- 

 sults, viz., that 1 per cent, of KOH is 

 sufficient for saponification of the oil. 

 The second column shows what a large 

 quantity of acetic acid has been taken 

 up; and, as will be seen later, is suffici- 

 ent to detect adulteration with cedar 

 wood oil, as the oil contains a very small 

 quantity of bodies of an alcoholic nature. 



The specific gravities and iodine ab- 

 sorptions of the five samples above de- 

 scribed are given in the following table. 

 The iodine solution used is Hiibl's, and 

 the only precautions to be observed are 

 to allow the action to take place for 10 

 hours, and to use large excess of iodine. 

 The results are all within the limits 190 

 — 210, and are more reliable than bro- 

 mine absortions. 



Specific 



gravity. 



.9803 . 



•9779 - 

 .9800 _ 



•9794 - 

 .9787 . 



Iodine 

 absorbed. 



199.5 per cent. 

 195-7 



204.0 " 

 210.3 



190.6 " 



These results suggested to me an ex- 

 planation of the increase in gravity of 

 the oil as distillation proceeded. Par- 

 ticulars of this were given in a paper by 

 Mr. Conroy at the Nottingham Confer- 

 ence. Mr. Conroy was kind enough, at 

 my request, to distil a 20-lb. batch of oil 

 and send me the first, middle, and last 



two ounces. These were examined in 

 the methods above described, with the 

 results given below. These figures prove 

 that the greater part of the aldehyde 

 comes over in the earlier fractions, and 

 that the saponifiable oil of highest boil- 

 ing point increases in quantity as distilla- 

 tion proceeds, and accounts for increase 

 in gravity. The iodine absorptions of 

 the three fractions all fall within the 

 limits above suggested, namely, 190 to 

 210 per cent. 



In order to ascertain if any appreciable 

 change took place during the acetylation 

 other than the formation of the alcoholic 

 acetate, the iodine absorption was taken 

 of a sample after acetylation. Calculated 

 for the increased weight, it should have 

 been 172.6 per cent.; found 173.0 per 

 cent. The constitution of the oil ap- 

 pears, therefore, not only to be materially 

 altered by this treatment. As cedar wood 

 oil is a very frequent adulteration of san- 

 tal wood oil, I examined four samples by 

 the method above described. The oilevi- 

 dently contains very small quantities of 

 alcoholic bodies, which is in agreement 

 with the lately published statement that 

 normal cedar wood oil does not contain 

 much, if any, cedar camphor, as the al- 

 cohol would certainly be associated with 

 the corresponding alcohol. The follow- 

 ing amounts of potash were found neces- 

 sary to saponify the acetylated cedar 

 oils: 



1 2.32 per cent. 



2 2.21 " 



3 2.13 



4 . 1.72 



