967 



ESSENTIAL OILS. 



ESSENTIAL OILS. 



valerole (C,,H I0 0,) [VALKHOLK]. Exposed to the air it soon becomes 

 resinified. 



Eaential oil of horsemint. [THYMEXE ; THYMOL.] [MEXTHA tylvettrii, 

 in KAT. HIST. Div.] 



Estential oil of hone-radish. Sulpho-cyanide of allyl. [MtWTARD, OIL 

 or.] [COCHLEARIA armoracia, in NAT. HIST. Div.] 



Estential oil of hyssop has not been thoroughly examined. It is lighter 

 than water. 



Essential oil of india-rubber. [CAOUTCHIN.] 



sential oil ofjatmin, generally obtained by placing jasmine flowers 

 between layers of wool soaked in olive oil, and afterwards pressing out 

 the oil. It may be separated from the fixed oil by agitation with spirit. 

 At 32 Fahr. it deposits a crystalline stearopten. 



Etiential oil of juniper fruit. Boiling point 320* Fahr. It seems to 

 be almost identical with oil of turpentine, but possesses less energetic 

 Iffivo- rotation of a polarised ray of light. [JuniPEBUS communis, in NAT. 

 HIST. Dry.] 



Estential oil of laurel, or laure I turpentine. Isomeric with oil of tur- 

 pentine. It is uncertain from what tree it is obtained. It is imported 

 from Demerara. Sp. gr. at 56 Fahr. 0'8645. 



Essential oil of laurel-berries, or oil of sweet bay. Obtained from the 

 berries [LAURU8 nobilis, in NAT. HIST. Div.] by distillation with water. 

 Pale yellow, transparent. Contains two isomeric oils (C^H^O). Sp. gr. 

 of one 0-857, of the other 0'885. 



Essential oil of lavender contains, in variable proportions, a crystalline 

 matter resembling common camphor. The liquid portion appears to be 

 isomerie with oil of turpentine. [LAVANDULA angustifolia, NAT. 

 HIST. Div. 



Essential oil of lemon-grass, Essential oil of citronetta, Essential oil of 

 verbena. Obtained on distilling the grass Andropogon citratum with 

 water. The plant is a native of India and Ceylon, but the oil is much 

 used in this country for perfumery. 



Essential oil of lemon-peel. [LEMON, Essential oil o/.] 

 Essential oil of lemon-thyme. [THYMUS, in NAT. HIST. Drv.] Contains 

 THYMENE and THYMOL. 



Essential oil of lettuce. Lactucarium, the inspissated milky juice ol 

 the lettuce, furnishes on distillation with water an essential oil that 

 has not been accurately examined. 



Essential oil of mace. Obtained by distilling with water the arillus oi 

 the nutmeg. [MYRISTICA, in NAT. HIST. Div.] It is at first colourless 

 but becomes yellow after a time. Its composition and use are similar 

 to those of Essential oil of nutmeg. 



Essential oil of male fern. On distilling the oil of male fern, obtained 

 by digesting the plant in ether, a small quantity of a volatile oil is 

 obtained. 



Essential oil of marjoram. Sweet marjoram [ORIGANUM marjorana, in 

 NAT. HIST. Div.] contains an oil, differing in odour, but otherwise the 

 game as that obtained from the common marjoram [ORIGANUM vulgare 

 NAT. HIST. Drv.] or origanum. One hundred pounds of the former 

 herb yields about four ounces of oil, while the same weight of the 

 latter herb yields double that quantity. This essential oil is com 

 posed of a hydrocarbon having the composition of oil of turpen 

 tine, and a hard colourless stearopten without odour and heavier than 

 water. 



Essential oil of mastericort, is a mixture of a terebene with an oxy 

 genised portion. Distilled with water it gives an oil having the odour 

 of essential oil of rosemary, and exactly the composition of oil of tur 

 pentine. [!MPEHATORIA ostruthium, in NAT. HIST. Div.] 

 Essential oil of meadow sweet. See Essential oil of spiraea. 

 Essential oil of milfoil. See Essential oil of achillea. 

 Essential oil of mustard. [MUSTARD, OIL OP.] 

 Essential oil ofmifrrh. Myrrh [BALSAMODENDRON, in NAT. HIST. Div. 

 contains two and a half per cent of an essential oil having the odou 

 and taste of the resin. In contact with air it soon resinifies. 



Essential oil of myrtle. Obtained in the usual way from the flowers 

 and leaves of the plant, 100 Ibs. yielding an average of about thre< 

 ounces. [MYRTUS communis, in NAT. HIST. Drv.] 

 Essential oil ofneroli. See Essential oil of orange-flower. 

 Essential oil of nutmeg. Obtained by distilling nutmegs [MYRISTICA 

 in NAT. HIST. Div.] with water. It has an average sp. gr. of 0'92. It is 

 colourless, and has the characteristic odour and taste of the nutmeg. I 

 is composed of a hydrocarbon, lighter than water, and an oxygenisec 

 portion heavier than water. It contains in solution more or. less of 

 stearopten, the melting point of which is 212" Fahr., and sublimin 

 point 234 Fahr. 



Essential oil of olibanum. The gum resin olibanum [BOSWELLIA, ii 

 NAT. HIST. Div.] yields about four per cent, of a colourless essentia 

 oil, having somewhat of the odour of oil of turpentine, but more agree 

 able. It- density is 0-866. 



Ettential oil of onion contains sulphur, and is probably identical wit 

 oil of garlic [GARLIC, OIL OP.] 



Essential oil of orange-flower. Oil of neroli. Obtained by distillin 

 the flowers with water. It is at first colourless but on exposure fc 

 light soon becomes red. It appears to be composed of two oils, on 

 of which has an extremely pleasant odour, and is unusually soluble i 

 water, the other unusually insoluble in water. 



Etiential oil of oranye-leaf is obtained from the leaves of the bitte 

 and sweet orange. It is met with in commerce under the name o 



ssence de petit grain. Except in odour, it probably differs but little 

 rom the oil obtained from the rind of the fruit. 



Essential oil of orange-peel has a peculiar odour, but in chemical com- 

 x>sition, vapour-density, &c., it is identical with essential oil of lemon. 

 LEMON, essential oil of]. 



Essential oil of origanum. See Essetitial oil of marjoram. 

 Essential oil of parsley. Procured from the seeds [PETROSELINUM, in 

 AT. HIST. Drv.] It contains a hydrocarbon, isomeric with oil of tur- 

 pentine, the boiling point of which is 320 Fahr., and a resinous portion 

 ontaining oxygen. 



Essential oil of partridge-berry. See Essential oil of n-intergreen. 

 Essential oil of pennyroyal. This oil has a boiling point between 360 

 'ahr. and 370 Fahr. Its chemical composition seems to be the same 

 is that of laurel camphor (C M HJ, 2 ). It is present in the herb 

 MENTHA Pulegium, in NAT. HIST. Div.] to the extent of about one per 

 sent. Its sp. gr. is about 0'925. 



Essential oil of pepper (white or blade). Pepper owes its pungency to 

 an essential oil having the same composition as oil of turpentine. 

 Boiling point, 333 Fahr. Sp. gr., 0-864. Vapour-density, 4-73. The 

 oil absorbs hydrochloric acid gas, and gives with it a crystalline 

 camphor. [PiPER nigrum, in NAT. HIST. Div.] 



Essential oil of peppermint. [PEPPERMINT, Essential oil of.} 

 Essential oil of petit grain. See Essential oil of orange-leaf . 

 Essential oil of peucedanum. The fresh leaves [PEUCEDANUM Orcoseli- 

 um, in NAT. HIST. Div.] contains an essential oil somewhat resembling 

 that of juniper. Boiling point, 325 Fahr. Sp. gr., 0-843. It contains 

 a hydrocarbon similar to oil of turpentine, and a small quantity of an 

 oxidised portion. 



Essential oil of pimento or allspice. [CARYOPHYLLIC ACID.] 

 Essential oil of pimpernel. The root of the common burnet [SAN- 

 GUISORBA, in NAT. HIST. Div.] furnishes a blue-coloured essential oil. 



Essential oil of pine-apple is the butyrate of oxide of ethyl or 

 butyric ether. [BUTYRIC ACID.] 



Essential oil of poplar. Obtained on distilling with water the non- 

 ixpanded flowers. [PopULUS nigra, in NAT. HIST. Div.] It is colour- 

 less, of an agreeable odour, and heavier than water. 



Essential oil of ptychotis ajowan [PiYCHOTis, in NAT. HIST. Div.] is 

 obtained from the seeds, which contain between five and six per cent. 

 It is composed of a hydrocarbon isomeric with oil of turpentine, and a 

 stearopteu that crystallises in beautiful oblique or rhombohedral crys- 

 tals. On exposing the oil to the air in a shallow vessel these crystals 

 may be obtained of considerable size. They are very similar, if not 

 identical, with THYMOL. The Ptychotis is well known in India as an 

 aromatic under the name of ajowan or ajteain. 



Essential oil of radish. The seeds of the common garden radish 

 [RAPHANUS sativus, in NAT. HIST. Div.] furnish a colourless oil, heavier 

 than water, and containing sulphur. It is probably the sulphide or 

 the sulphocyanide of allyl. 



Essential oil of ravensara. [EvooiA, in NAT. HIST. Drv.] Very similar 

 to, and sometimes substituted for, oil of cloves. 



Essential oil of rhodium. The root of Canary rosewood, Genista 

 canariensis, yields by distillation this essential oil. It is of a light 

 yellow colour, but by keeping becomes red; 100 Ibs. of root yield 

 about IJ oz. of oil. 



Essential oil of rosemary, prepared by distilling with water the tops 

 of the plant. [ROSMARINUS, in NAT. HIST. Div.] It is colourless, and 

 has the characteristic taste and odour of the herb. Its sp. gr. is gene- 

 rally about 0-897, and boiling point 365 Fahr. It appears to be a 

 mixture of hydrocarbon, oxygenised oil, and stearopten, in variable 

 proportions. 



Essential oil (or attar) of roses. [ATTAR OF ROSES.] 

 Essential oil of rue is capric or rutic aldehyde. [RuTic ACID.] 

 Essential oil of saffron. Yellow, heavier than water. By exposure 

 to air is converted into a solid crystalline' substance. [CROCUS iatirus, 

 in NAT. HIST. Div.] 



Essential oil of sage. Obtained on distilling sage-leaves with water. 

 It contains a hydrocarbon and an oxygenised portion. Nitric acid 

 oxidises it to a crystalline body, having the odour and composition of 

 laurel camphor. [SALVIA officinalis, in NAT. HIST. Div.] 



Essential oil of sandal-wood is procured by distilling the wood [PTERO- 

 CARPUS santalinus, in NAT. HIST. Div.] with water. The yield is gene- 

 rally about two per cent. It is sometimes substituted for oil of 

 rhodium and attar of roses. 



Essential oil of sarsaparilla. In an experiment described by Pereira 

 ("Materia Medica,' p. 1168), 140 Ibs. of sarsaparilla root distilled 

 with water yielded a few drops of an essential oil having the odour 

 and acrid taste of the root, soluble in alcohol, and heavier than 

 water. 



Essential oil of sassafras. The wood [SASSAFRAS, in NAT. HIST. Div.] 

 yields on distillation with water a light yellow oil, of acrid taste and 

 characteristic odour. Sp. gr. T094. On exposure to intense cold, 

 large quantities of crystals are obtained from it. These have the 

 formula C^H^O.. Bromine acts violently on oil of sassafras, giving 

 rise to a crystalline substitution product having the formula 

 C JO (H.,Br 8 )0.. 



Essential oil of savin. The fresh tops or berries [JuNiPERUS sabina, 

 in NAT. HIST. Div.] yield an essential oil of sp. gr. 0-915. It has the 

 same composition and boiling point as oil of turpentine (C 20 H, ). 



