Essential Oil of Sage. 337 



allowed to remain at rest for twenty-four hours, and water bo 

 then added, and the liquid submitted to distillation in a 

 current of steam, a distillate is obtained, the oily portion of 

 which, when separated from the aqueous part and dried, boils 

 for the most part between 215° and 225°. This distillate ap- 

 pears as a heavy yellow-coloured oil ; it is most probably a 

 polymeride produced by the action of the sulphuric acid upon 

 the hydrocarbons present in the original oil. 



The greater portion of the product of the action of strong 

 sulphuric acid upon the oil remains behind, after distillation 

 in steam, in the form of a very thick black resin, which be- 

 comes almost solid after standing in the air for some time. 



The action of dry hydrochloric acid gas upon sage-oil, 

 maintained at a temperature of —10° to —15°, does not 

 result in the production of any solid chlorhydrate. The pro- 

 duct, when distilled, boils chiefly at 195° to 205°, but contains 

 only from 1 to 2 per cent, of chlorine, with varying quantities 

 of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. If a chlorhydrate is origi- 

 nally formed, it readily undergoes decomposition ; the hydro- 

 carbons appear to be partially polymerized by the action of 

 the hydrochloric acid. 



A portion of the oil, when mixed v/ith about half its 

 volume of water, the same quantit}^ of strong nitric acid, and 

 one volume of alcohol, became dark red in colour, and after 

 some days separated into an under, light-yellow, and an upper, 

 dark-coloured layer. No solid matter was deposited, however, 

 after twelve months' standing. At the expiry of two months 

 the two layers had reunited. 



3. On submitting the oil to distillation, a small quantity of 

 water came over ; after the removal of this, distillation began 

 at about 170° ; four fifths of the whole quantity of oil dis- 

 tilled between this point and 215°, the greater portion boiling 

 between 175° Jand 195°. That portion which boiled below 

 190° was treated w^ith sodium, which caused the formation of 

 considerable quantities of red resinous matter, and again dis- 

 tilled ; about four fifths of the whole again passed over below 

 190°, leaving a semisolid red gelatinous mass, which dissolved 

 in ether to form a brown-coloured liquid with a slight green 

 fluorescence. 



The fraction boiling at about 190° deposited a small quantity 

 of solid matter after standing for some time ; it was therefore 

 exposed to the cold of several successive days and nights 

 during a rather severe frost, whereby a larger quantity of 

 solid matter was separated. 



That fraction, obtained in the first distillation of the oil, 

 which boiled above 190°, was now submitted to fractionation 



Phil Mag. S. 5. Yol. 4. No. 26. Nov. 1877. Z 



