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PHILIPPINE TERPENES AND ESSENTIAL OILS, IV. 261 



OIL OF OCIMUM SANCTUM L. 



This plant is found cultivated in many of the gardens of the Philip- 

 pines. Prom 13.86 kilos of leaves, which were forty-eight hours old at 

 the time of distillation, 83.3 grams of a green-colored oil (0.6 per cent) 

 were obtained. This oil had a sweet, anise-like odor, and the following 



9QO 30° 



properties: Kefractive index, N" —^r 1.5070; optical rotation, A -yr- 0; 



30° 

 specific gravity, ^kb 0.952; saponification number, 2.8. 



The oil consists to a large extent of methyl homoanisic acid, melting 

 at 85°, being obtained by oxidizing the fraction boiling from 85° to 95° 

 at 9 millimeters pressure. I will state concerning the amount of oil which 

 it is possible to obtain from a given number of these plants, that 65 small 

 plants in the yard of the Bureau of Science gave 2.5 kilos fresh leaves 

 which yielded, on steam distillation, 32 grams of oil. This represented 

 about 60 per cent of the total leaves of these plants, which were about 

 two years old, but they had been transplanted several times during those 

 two years. 



OIL OF CURCUMA ZEDOARIA ROSC. 



This plant is quite abundant in many places near Manila and is found 

 pretty well distributed over the Philippines. I do not know that it is 

 used for any purpose by the Filipinos. 



One hundred kilos of chopped roots distilled with steam gave 65 grams 

 (0.065 per cent) of a brown oil, which was too dark accurately to 

 determine its optical rotation. Its other properties were as follows : 



Specific gravity, ~r- 0.933; refractive index, N -yr- 1.4920. 



The oil is soluble in two or more volumes of 90 per cent alcohol. 



These roots were obtained in September. On the 1st of December, 160 



kilos of roots were obtained, chopped up and distilled with steam. 



They gave 400 grams (0.25 per cent) of an oil of a light yellow color, 



30° 

 and having the following properties: Specific gravity, — r- 0.993; re- 



30° 30° 



tractive index, N" -=— 1.5070 ; optical rotation, A -=- 1°.10; saponification 



number, 2, soluble in two or more volumes 80 per cent alcohol. Two 

 hundred and fifty grams of this oil were distilled in vacuo (7 milli- 

 meters) and gave the following fractions. 



Fraction. 

 1 

 2 

 3 

 4 

 5 



Boiling point. 

 60-100 



Weight 

 (grams.) 



42 



100-120 



38 



120-140 



15 



140-160 



27 



160-166 



104 



