CASSTA. 209 
inferior to Chinese cassia-buds. Cassia-buds yield a volatile oil 
by distillation. 
Oil of Cassia is considered to be exactly similar in a chemical 
point of view to oil of cinnamon, but not so fine in flavour, 
Cassia oil distilled by the Chinese is frequently adulterated 
with colophony, and as this has a greater sp. gr. than the oil they 
add petroleum to regulate the consistence and sp. gr. With the 
view of checking the sale of this systematically adulterated oil, 
Messrs. Schimmel & Co. of Leipzig have published a Circular 
dated October 1889, giving very useful data respecting the pure 
oil, and describing methods of detecting the adulteration. As 
Messrs. 8. & Co. have undertaken this trouble for the benefit of 
consumers, some extracts from the Circular may here be given :— 
The specific gravity of ‘ Extra pale Colophony ” is. 1:070 
The specific gravity of “ Pale Colophony” is. . . 1:110 
The darker sorts occurring in trade, to judge from the colour 
of the adulterated oil, are still heavier. Therefore, as the sp. gr. 
of pure Chinese Cassia oil amounts on an average to 1:060, any oil 
heavier than 1-070 must always be looked upon with suspicion. 
The table on p. 210 details the properties of pure Cassia oils 
and of adulterated Cassia oils examined by 8S. & Co. 
The demands to be met by a good marketable cassia oil result, 
ipso facto, from the analyses. Briefly they are as follows :— 
1. It should have at 15° C. a specific gravity of 1°050 to 
1-070. 
2. On distilling, about 90 per cent. of pure cassia oil should 
pass over. ‘The residue must not become solid after cooling 
and take the character of a brittle resin, but must remain, 
at least, semi-fluid. It may amount to from 6 to 7 per 
cent., but is in no case to be more than 10 per cent. 
No practical value for the detection of resin can be attached to 
testing the solubility of the oil in more or less diluted spirit, as is 
proved by the examination of oils which had been purposely mixed 
with resin and petroleum. 
As a matter of course it is possible that adulteration with fatty 
oil will again occasionally be resorted to and that the fluid resin 
obtained by distilling will amount to more than 10 percent. Any 
such oil must of course be rejected. 
P 
