.;<>" 



I he crude oils were reddish in colour, due to the action of the phenols on 

 the iron derived from the still ; on removing the colour, the oil was of a light- 

 primrose tint. The two samples of oil had the following characters :— 



Altitude. 2,500 ft. 



Altitude, 2,000 ft. 



Yield of oil... 



Rotation <j d 



Specific gravity at 15 C 



Ref. index at 20° ('. 



Solubility in 80 per cent, alcohol 



Cineol * ... 



Eudesmol ... 



Phellandrene ... ' ... 



Saponification number of ester and free acid 



0-83 per cent. 



—28-4 



0-8802 



1-4882 



In 5 vols. 



Practically absent 



In quantity 



In abundance 



13-2 



0-78 per cent. 



-31-1° 



0-8879 



1-4901 



In 5 vols. 



Practically absent 



In quantity 



In abundance 



15-4 



One of these oils was then rectified, and the results are here tabulated with 

 those obtained with the oil of this species from Yarra Junction in Victoria. 

 Both oils commenced to distil at 170 C. (corr.). 



170-176° C 



176-190 C 



190-240° c 



240-280° c 



Specific gravity at 15° C, first fraction 



,, second fraction 



,, third fraction 



fourth fraction before solidi- 

 fication. 



Rotation a D first fraction 



second fraction 



third fraction 



Ref. Index at 20° C, first fraction 



second fraction ... 



third fraction 



The higher laevo-rotation of the first fraction above that of the second 

 fraction, together with other indications that dextro-rotatory pinene was not 

 present, and the absence of cineol show the oil of this species not to agree with 

 that of E. fastigata. The saponification number of the Victorian oil was 12-4. 

 The comparatively small yield of oil from the leaves and branchlets of 

 E. regnans renders the species of little value as an oil-producing tree. 



As there was a strong indication for alcoholic bodies in this oil, the Tas- 

 manian samples were mixed and a portion acetvlated "in the usual way. The 

 saponification number was then 73-2, while in the cold with two hours' contact 

 it was 31-5. This result indicates that about 16 per cent, of free eudesmol and 

 5 per cent, free geraniol were present at that time. 



The results of this investigation with the Tasmanian material were 

 published by us in the Proc. Roy. Soc, Tasmania, October, 1912. 



