[Peoc. Eot. Soc. Victoria, 32 (N.S.), Pt. I., 1919]. 



AuT. III. — 0)1 the Essential Oil of Boronia pinnata, Sm. 

 and the presence of Elemicin. 



By henry G. smith, F.C.S. 



(Sydney Technological Museum). 



[Read 10th July, 1919]. 



The Boronias (N. O. Butaceae) are plentifully distributed in 

 Australia, and constitute a genus the flowers of which are often 

 strongly perfumed. 



The essential oil. the subject of this communication, was distilled 

 by Mr. P. R. H. St. John, in Melbourne, from material collected, 

 .towards the end of the year 1917, in the Longwarry District of 

 Victoria. The plant at that timei of the year was in full bloom. 



Very few species of Boronia have so far been worked for their 

 oil, and consequently little is at present known concerning the con- 

 stitution of their odoriferous products. 



In this case it is particularly interesting to know that almost 

 three-fourths, of the oil consists of the trimethoxy-phenol ether, 

 Elemicin. 



This substance which is 4-allyl — 1.2,6, trimethoxy-benzol ; 

 ■Cl2HlfiO;^, occurs in the higher boiling portion of the oil of Manila 

 Elemi, and it was from this oil that it was first isolated, and its 

 characters and composition determined. 



The constants given for Elemicin are : — boiling point 

 144.147°C. at 10 millimetres pressure; density at 20°:= 1.06-3, re- 

 fractive index 1.5284; also that it occurs in the fraction of the 

 oil boiling at 277-2SO°C. 



Ihe oil of Manila Elemi, di.stilled from the oleo-resin of Can- 

 ari'um commune, L.. is thus derived from plants belonging to the 

 Burseraceae, a natural order somewhat far removed, systematic- 

 ally, from the Rutacea?, to which Boronia belongs, and it is thu.s 

 interesting to find this rare plant constituent so widely distributed. 



The slight fluorescence ol the oil is also worthy of remark, 

 because it seems very probable that this was Avholly or partly due 

 to the presence of a small quantity of the methyl-ester of an- 

 thranilic acid, which constituent it was possible to extract from the 

 oil by agitating with dilute sulphuric acid. As the plant was in 

 flower at the time of distillation, it is probable that this ester 



