h'ssciiliol Oil of Aijiutis fexuosa. 'ill 



ally sepai-att'd out until there was a fairly heavy preeiptate of 

 piiieiii' nifruscn-hloiide, proviiii^f tlie presence of piiioiie in the 

 oil. 



Ci/meiie. — The residue of fraction III., above mentioned, consisting 

 of ."5.5 e.c, had a lemon-like odour, strongly suggestive of cyniene. 

 It was oxidised by heating on a water-bath with 6 gms. of potassium 

 })ermanganate and 180 gms. of water, until the reaction was com- 

 plete, shown by the absence of oil on the surface of the aqueous 

 solution. The oxide formed was filtered off and evaporated to dry- 

 ness. The potassium salt was then boiled out with alcohol and 

 eva})orated, the residue being dissolved in water and acidified. The 

 separated acid was re-crystallised from alcohol and melted at 155 

 deg. C, thus showing that it was p-oxyisopropyl-benzoic acid, and 

 thereby proving the prior presence of cymene in the oil. 



.To I'hellnndrene. — Phellandrene is absent, a fact proved by the 

 following test : — 2 cc. of the oil were taken, and 3 c.c. of saturated 

 af^ueous solution of potassium nitrite were added, without mixing. 

 Then ten drops of glacial acetic acid were slowly added, and the 

 test tube, containing this, put aside to stand. No crystals formed, 

 therefore there is no phellandrene in the oil. 



Esters.- — ^The saponification number found by the usual method is 

 7.5. which is equivalent to 2.6 per cent, of an ester, having the 

 composition CmHi„0. 



Alcohol. — Acetylation h\ the ordinary method gave 7.6 per cent, 

 of an alcohol, having the composition CioHi^O. 



To Free Acid. — There is no free acid in the oil, which is shown 

 by shaking a known weight of the oil with a measured quantity of 

 alcoholic sodium hydroxide solution for a minute and then titrating 

 l)aek with a standard acid. 



SuMJrAHY. 



The main constituents of the oil are, therefore, cineol, cymene and 

 pinene. It also contains small amounts of alcohol, phenol and 

 ester, but no phellandrene. aroraadendrene, aldehyde or free acid. 



It has a very pleasant odour, and owing to its high content of 

 cineol'. should pi'ove commercially valuable. The abundance of 

 trees in certain districts, and their foliaceous habits of growth 

 allow of an extremely economical collection of leaves. The percen' 

 ago yield, though not high, is sufficiently large to make a payable 

 proposition, and so. taking all these factors into consideration, 

 there is scope for the development of a new industiy in South- 

 Western Australia. 



