ALMOND OIL 



103 



1st. That neither bitter almonds nor their residuary cake yield any volatile oil by 

 pressure. 



2nd. They yield no oil when digested in alcohol or in ether, though the volatile oil 

 is soluble in both these liquids. 



3rd. Alcohol extracts from bitter-almond cake, sugar, resin, and amygdalin; when 

 tho latter substance has been removed, the cake is no longer capable of furnishing the 

 volatile oil by distillation. 



4th. Ether extracts no amygdalin, and the cake left, after digestion in ether, yields 

 tho volatile oil by distillation with water ; but alcohol dissolves out a peculiar white 

 crystalline body, without smell, of a sweetish taste at first, and afterwards bitter, to 

 which they gave the name of amygdalin. This substance does not seem convertible 

 into volatile oil. Perrira. See Watts's ' Dictionary of Chemistry.' 



Sweet almonds, by the analysis of Boullay, consist of 54 parts of the bland almond 

 oil, 6 of uncrystallisable sugar, 3 of gum, 24 of vegetable albumen, 24 of woody fibre, 

 5 of husks, 3-5 of water, - 5 of acetic acid, including loss. We thus see that sweet 

 almonds contain nearly twice as much oil as bitter almonds do. 



Three varieties are known in commerce. 



1. Jordan Almonds, which are the finest, come from Malaga. Of these there aro 

 two kinds : the one above an inch in length, flat, with a clear brown cuticle, sweet, 

 mucilaginous, and rather tough ; the other more plump and pointed at one end, brittle, 

 but equally sweot with the former. 



2. Valentia almonds are about three-eighths of an inch broad, not quite an inch 

 long, round at one end, and obtusely pointed at the other, flat, of a dingy brown colour 

 and dusty cuticle. 



3. Barbary and Italian almonds resemble the latter, but are generally smaller and 

 less flattened. Brande, Dictionary of Pharmacy. 



Our importation and exportation of ALMONDS in 1871 were as follows : 



IMPORTS. ' 1871. 



EXPOBTS. 



OX&, BITTER. Oil of bitter almonds. Essential oil of bitter almonds, 

 ( Oleum Amygdala Amara.) 



After the fixed oil has been expressed from the bitter almonds, the residual cake 

 is mixed with water and distilled. A volatile oil comes over. It has boon con- 

 vincingly proved that this fine-flavoured essential oil is produced during the process, 

 by some decomposition of tho amygdalin and the emulsion of tho coeds. It is highly 



