COMMERCIAL PKODUCTIOlSr OF THYMOL FEOM HOESEMINT. 7 



95 per cent of total phenols. In 1912 a total of about 35 gallons of 

 water was distilled and a yield of 0.05 per cent of oil was secured, 

 having 98 per cent of phenols. The quantity of oil which is dissolved 

 in the water under the usual methods of distillation is strikingly 

 shown by the results for 1914, which are summarized in Table III. 



Table III. — Quantity of oil recovered from the water as corhpared with that obtained 



from horsemint. 



Weight of herb. 



441 pounds. 

 395 pounds . 

 302 pounds. 



Oil from 

 the herb. 



Pounds. 

 1.6 

 1.8 

 1.2 



Oil 

 recovered 

 from the 



water. 



Pounds. 

 0.20 

 .19 

 .12 



For the year 1914 the oil recovered from the water contained 90 per 

 cent of phenols. 



From these results it will be seen that the redistillation of this water 

 is practicable and wiU add about one-seventh to the quantity of oil 

 secured from the herb. This redistillation can readily be accom- 

 plished by collecting the water in a suitable receptacle, and when a 

 sufficient quantity has accumulated it can be run into the retort 

 and distilled in the same manner as the herb, or the water secured 

 can each time be added to the next charge of herb and distilled with it. 



By passing the fresh herb through a fodder cutter or shredder it 

 is possible to distill a larger quantity at a time, but it in no way hastens 

 the distillation process; on the contrary, it hinders somewhat the 

 xmloading of the material if it is removed from the top of the retort. 

 If the retort is emptied from the bottom, as is customary in the larger 

 distillation plants, it is practicable to cut the herb, since it much 

 facilitates the dumping. These are points which the distiller must 

 decide according to his special conditions and the scale of his opera- 

 tions. 



The size and number of the retorts used will depend upon the quan- 

 tity of material to be distilled during the season. If the herb is cut 

 before distillation, about 100 pounds can be contained in each 7 cubic 

 feet of retort space. A retort 6 feet in diameter and 8 feet high would 

 contain about 3,200 pounds of the cut herb, or about half that quan- 

 tity of the whole herb. 



As soon as it is distilled the oil should be freed from water in a 

 separatory funnel and shaken with a small quantity of anhydrous 

 calcium chlorid to remove the last traces of water and to prevent 

 turbidity. It can then be stored until wanted for refining. It is 

 preferable to use glass containers if the oil is to be stored for any 

 length of time, since contact with iron or tin wiU darken the oil and 

 make the refining more difficult. 



