TURPENTINE OIL. 463 



bruised or intentionally incised, there flows from them 

 a clear, thick, viscid liquid, turpentine. This is a so 

 lution of a resin in oil of turpentine. As it occurs in 

 commerce, it is yellow, sometimes clear, sometimes 

 turbid, of a bitter taste and slight odor. Distilled 

 with water, oil of turpentine passes over and the resin 

 remains behind. 



Properties. Colorless, thin oil of a peculiar, unpleas 

 ant odor ; specific gravity, 0.89 ; boiling point, 160. 

 Vapor density, 4.698. Almost insoluble in water, 

 miscible with alcohol and ether in all proportions. It 

 dissolves sulphur, phosphorus, and a great many other 

 substances that are insoluble in water. It absorbs 

 oxygen from the air, and converts it partially into 

 ozone. Towards polarized light it conducts itself dif 

 ferently, according to its origin: that obtained from the 

 turpentine of Pinus maritima (French oil of turpen 

 tine), of Pinus Mughus, Abies pectinata (templin oil), 

 and Laryx europcea, rotates the plane of polarization 

 towards the left ; that from the turpentine of Pinus 

 australis (English oil of turpentine), however, towards 

 the right. 



Under the influence of heat, acids, etc., it is con 

 verted into other varieties with other properties, but 

 without a change in the percentage composition. The 

 oil, which is originally produced in the trees, too, ap 

 pears to be different from that prepared from turpen 

 tine. Pine branches distilled with water give an en 

 tirely different, almost agreeably smelling oil, which, 

 when distilled over potassa, becomes ordinary oil of 

 turpentine. 



Transformations. Oil of turpentine, left for months 

 in contact with acidified water,* is partially converted 

 into a colorless and inodorous body, terpine (hydrate of 

 oil of turpentine), C^IP O 2 -f H 2 0, which crystallizes 

 very regularly ; fuses at 100, losing its water of crys 

 tallization ; sublimes at a higher temperature undecom- 

 posed ; is sparingly soluble in cold water, easily soluble 

 in hot water and in alcohol and ether. When its so- 



* A well-shaken mixture of eight parts of oil of turpentine, two 

 parts of weak nitric acid, and one part of alcohol, is the best. 



