YLANG-YLANG OIL. 77 



30° 30° 



Number 1: 55 cubic centimeteris; specific gravity, --^=0.960; A -p-= — 19.8°; 



N?^ =1.4865; ester number, 178. 



4° ' D 



30° 30° 

 Number 2: 33 cubic centimeters; specific gravity, =0.959; A = — 26.5° 



30° 

 N~ =1.4914; ester number, 160. 



4° ' D 



30° 30° 

 Number 3: 90 cubic centimeters; specific gravity, =0.954; A = — 34.6°; 



30° 

 N^=— =1.4956; ester number, 154. 



30° 30° 



Number 4: 80 cubic centimeters; specific gravity, =0.942; A — = — 53.4°; 



30° 

 N^ =1.5020; ester number. 113. 



Tubes numbers 1, 2 and 3 united gave the following constants: Specific 

 30° 30° 30° 



gravity, —=0.958; A^— =— 27.0; N^ = 1.4910; ester number, 169. 



The total oil obtained was 258 cubic centimeters, whicli is 264 grams, cor- 

 responding to a yield of 0.45 per cent. 



This yield was nearly twice the normal amount and the quality of the 

 oil was very high, as was shown not only by the analytical figures given 

 above, but also was confirmed by the opinions of Manila experts to whom 

 it was submitted. 



I believe these experiments indicate that 300 kilos of ripe, yellow 

 iiowers will give 1 kilo of a better quality of oil than will 400 kilos of the 

 class of poor, mixed flowers used at the j)resent time. It is a well-laiown 

 fact of plant iDhysiology that the odoriferous substance is present in the 

 flower in greatest abundance and in finest quality at the time when it is 

 mature and ready for pollination. No doubt, in the course of time much 

 can be done toward improving the yield and quality of ylang-ylang oil by 

 intelligent plant selection. Such work requires much patience and at 

 present there are absolutely no data available save a general opinion that 

 the ylang-ylang trees of the wild mountain regions are not as fragrant as 

 the cultivated ones of the lowlands. 



Fifty-four and five-tenths kilos of the same flowers were also distilled in a 



vacuum of 100 millimeters, an exceedingly slow operation. There were obtained 



32 cubic centimeters of oil of a very good quality, with the following properties: 



.30° 30° .30° 



Specific gravity, ^=0.949; A^=3G.l; N— = 1.4940; ester number, 138. 



The low yield is due to the fact that the only apparatus available had 

 the vacuum pipe opening directly into the oil receiver, with only a com- 

 paratively short condenser above, and as a consequence most of tlie oil was 

 lost by volatilization. 



