262 BACON. 



A solid, crystalline residue weighing '20 grams was left in the distil- 

 ling flask. 



Fractions 4 and 5 solidified to give a beautiful, white, crystalinne 

 compound which most probably is a. sesquiterpene alcohol. 



This alcohol is exceedingly soluble in all organic solvents, being recrystallized 

 from low-boiling petroleum ether. The crystals from alcohol are very frequently 

 several centimeters in length. The body melts sharply at (57° and boils at 

 about 100° (7 millimeters), the exact boiling point being obscure because the 

 substance sublimes at a temperature quite a number of degrees below the latter. 

 The crystalline body possesses a strong and rather pleasant odor, and is undoubt- 

 edly the substance which gives its characteristic smell to the oil of zeodoaria 

 Some of the crystals which were left in a tightly stoppered test tube for three 

 months partially liquefied and the characteristic odor had then been replaced 

 by one resembling turpentine. The sesquiterpene alcohol when dissolved in 



S0° • 



alcohol or benzene shows no optical activity; its specific gravity. _ — , is 1.01 so 



that it probably belongs to the tricyclic system of sesquiterpene alcohols. With 

 concentrated sulphuric acid at first it gives a deep red color and then chars; 

 a white, solid, odorless substance is formed by hot, concentrated nitric acid. It 

 was not possible to obtain this substance in a crystalline state, it dissolves in 

 10 per cent sodium hydroxide to give a red solution and is precipitated by acids 

 as a white, amorphous solid. Phosphorus pentoxide was added to a solution 

 of the sesquiterpene alcohol in petroleum ether without any apparent action; 

 following this I added one drop of strong formic acid, whereupon a hard resin, 

 in appearance and general properties much like the varnish resins, resulted. As 

 this beautifully crystalline sesquiterpene alcohol is available in large quantities, 

 its study will be continued. 



OIL OF CURCUMA LONGA L. 



One hundred and twenty-three kilos of Philippine roots from this 

 plant were distilled with constant cohobation, yielding 290 grams of a 

 brown colored • oil with the following properties : Specific gravity, 



OAO '30° Rf)° 



^r 0.930; refractive index, N -^r 1.5030: optical rotation, A -~r-8°.6; 



ester number, SI. 



Miscible with 75 per cent or stronger alcohol in any proportion." 



OIL OF MICHELIA CHAMPACA L. ■ 



The small amount of literature on this subject is of a very confusing- 

 nature, and I believe that the oils which have been put on the market 

 as champaca oils have their origin only to a very slight extent in Michelia 

 champaca. 



In 1882. Schimmel and Company 7 report a champaca oil which was liquid 



"Jackson, Amer. Chem. Jowrn. (1882), 4, 308, gives the following numbers for 

 curcuma oil; A„— 24.58° ; d=0.95.Gl. 



Rupe, Lusch and Steinbach, Ber. d. chem. <Jes. (1909), 42, 2575, give a specific 

 gravity at 20° of 0.9388: A .— 24.70. The Philippine oil seems to be somewhat 

 low in optical rotation as compared to the oils examined by these investigators. 



7 Semiannual Report (1882), 1, 7. 



