153 



distinction 



^ "^ f ^ '^^ ^ chemistr >" f the oil a PP ear to be the 



ESSENTIAL OIL. Leaves and terminal branchlets of this species for 

 distillation were received from Blackheath, N.S.W., in September iqiq The 

 yield of oil was 0-8 per cent. 



The crude oil was of a dark amber colour with an odour resembling the 

 cineol-pinene oils generally. A small quantity of pinene was present, but 

 phellandrene was absent. Cineol was present in quantity, and crystallised 

 eudesmol was also pronounced. A solid paraffin was also detected. Esters 

 were only present in small quantity. 



The crude oil had specific gravity at 15 C. = 0-9289 ; rotation a D + 

 6-12; refractive index at 20 = 1-4699, and was soluble in i-i volume 70 per 

 cent, alcohol. The saponification number for the esters and free acid was 6-1, 

 and in the cold with two hours' contact it was 3-3. 



On rectification i per cent, distilled below 172 C. (corr.). Between 

 172-193, 73 per cent, distilled ; between 193-276, 10 per cent, came over, and 

 between 276-281, 13 per cent, distilled. These fractions gave the following 

 results : 



First fraction, sp. gr. at 15 C. = 0-9183; rotation a D + 2-1; refractive 



index at 20 = 1-4624. 

 Second ,, = 0-9331; rotation a D + 10-8 ; refractive 



index at 20 = 1-4809. 

 Third ,, = 0-9571; rotation not taken; refractive 



index at 20 = 1-5076. 



The cineol was determined by the resorcinol method in the first fraction ; 

 when calculated for the crude oil the result was 64 per cent. By the rapid phos- 

 phoric add method it was 56 per cent, in the crude oil. 



A portion of the oil was acetylated in the usual way, when the saponi- 

 fication number had risen to 52-4, and in the cold with two hours' contact it was 

 16-3. This result indicates that 13-4 per cent, of eudesmol, and 3-6 per cent. 

 of free geraniol occurred in the crude oil. 



The eudesmol was present in such quantity that it was prepared in a 

 pure condition ; the specific rotation was [a] D + 35-5. The melting point was 

 but 76 C. This low melting point was traceable to a small proportion of the 

 paraffin still remaining, and when removed the melting point was 80 C. 



The above amount of eudesmol is what was contained in the oil, but 

 distillation was continued for some hours and a solid cake of eudesmol thus 

 obtained floating on the condensed water ; this amounted to about one-third of 

 the total yield. 



A sample of commercially distilled oil of this ' Mallee," growing at 

 Charley's Forest, between Nelligen and Mongarlowe, N.S.W., was submitted to 

 us by Mr. Carlyle, in November, 1919. It had been distilled by the simple bush 

 tank still, consequently much of the higher boiling constituents had not been 

 obtained. The oil agreed very well with the sample distilled by us from the 

 Blackheath material, and was equally rich in cineol. It had specific gravity at 

 15 C. = 0-924; rotation a v 3-7 ; refractive index at 20 = 1-4634; cineol 70 

 per cent, by the phosphoric acid method. 



50068 L 



