86 



PLANT COMPOUNDS 



cine, and as a cheap perfume for soaps. It is distilled from 

 the leaves and flowers of an herb that grows largely in Spain 

 and France. 



(k) Oil of Turpentine is a terpene, usually pinene, 

 C10H16, with some other isomers. It is obtained by steam dis- 

 tillation of the resinous exudate of the long-leaf pine tree. 

 This sticky liquid which flows from cuts in the trees is com- 

 posed of a resin, colophony (Section 78, b), and an essential 



Fig. 22. — Distilling turpentine. Forest Service, United States 

 Department of Agriculture. 



oil which is volatile with steam. The resin is left in the 

 still. The turpentine, which is lighter than water, is drawn 

 off and sold as oil or spirits of turpentine. Figs. 21 and 22 

 illustrate the process of collection and distillation of tur- 

 pentine. The best grades come from this country and 

 France. Russia produces some oil of poorer quality. It is 

 a colorless, mobile liquid with a faint, pleasant, ethereal 

 odor when pure. On standing there is formed an oxidized 

 compound, probably an aldehyde, which is said to give 



