YLANG-YLANG OIL. 75 



penes in ylang-ylang oil probablj' depends upon the fact that unripe 

 flowers in whicli terpenes are apt to occur are mixed with those used for 

 distilling. I could not find pinene or other terpenes in 100 cubic centi- 

 meter samples of oils made from fairl]^ good flowers, but the distillation 

 of very unripe flowers gives an oil which has an odor differing entirely 

 from that of ylang-ylang; on the other hand it resembles that of a mix- 

 ture of turpentine and bananas, and doubtless it contains quantities of 

 terpenes and of benzyl or amyl (?) acetate. 



I have examined a sample of turpentine which was said to be prepared 

 for the use of ylang-ylang distillers; it proved to be a very thoroughly 

 refined, dextro-rotary product, flavored with a trace of essence of |)ep- 

 permint. If turpentine is present in an ylang-ylang oil in any quantity 

 it gives to the latter a sharp, harsh odor, it lowers the specific gravity, 

 optical rotation and refractive index, and it may be detected in the first 

 fraction upon distilling the ylang-ylang oil in vacuo. If, upon fraction- 

 ing a 100 cubic centimeter sample at 10 millimeters j)ressure, more than 

 1 cubic centimeter passes over below 65°^ turpentine or some other low- 

 boiling adulterant may be at once suspected. The odor of this fraction 

 will often give some clue as to the adulterant which has been used and if 

 it is suspected that this is turpentine, pinene may be tested for in, the 

 usual manner. The presence of pinene is best proved by its conversion 

 into the bisnitroso-chloride, which with benzylamine gives the corre- 

 sponding nitrol benzylamine melting at 123°. 



Alcohol is detected in ylang-ylang oil by shaking the sample thoroughly 

 three times with a small amount of water, the latter being thorouglily 

 separated from the oil by centrifugating. The iodoform reaction is 

 then used with the aqueous solution, sodium carbonate and iodine dis- 

 solved in jjotassium iodide being added. I have satisfied myself that pure 

 ylang-ylang oil gives no reaction with these reagents and that 1 per cent 

 of alcohol can be detected in a 20 cubic centimeter sample by this method. 

 Pure ylang-ylang oil will sometimes give a faint reaction. This is no 

 doubt owing to the alcohol which is used in washing the funnels and 

 flasks in the distillery. 



Coconut or other fatty oils are detected by the well-known method of 

 placing a drop of the oil on bibulous paper, and this course is satisfactory 

 if the adulterant is present in any quantity. The solubility in 90 per 

 cent alcohol has also been proposed as a test, as fatty oils are soluble with 

 difficulty in alcohol of this strength. I have found that 3 per cent of 

 coconut oil added to an ylang-ylang oil of the first quality could be at 

 once detected by the opalescence produced by treating the mixture with 

 two volumes of 90 per cent alcohol. However^ the test, if used indiscrimi- 

 nately is liable to lead to unreliable results, because a pure, second-grade 

 ylang-ylang oil gives a marked opalescence with alcohol of the same 

 strength; this is due to the fact that sesquiterpenes preponderate in this 



