AUSTRALIAN MELALEUCAS AND THEIR ESSENTIAL OILS. 



205 



characters, being in close agreement with those obtained 

 with the other two samples above. The high boiling 

 fraction (35 per cent., 30 per cent, distilling above 265° 0.) 

 had rotation a D + 16\6, specific gravity at 15° = 0*9412 

 and refractive index 1*4971. The cineol present in the 

 crude oil was 31 per cent. 



The saponification number of the ester by boiling was 5*1, 

 while that of the acetylated oil, after boiling two hours 

 with acetic anhydride and sodium acetate in the usual way, 

 was 42*4. Assuming that the alcohol of the original ester 

 was identical with the free alcohol, there was 16*8 per 

 cent, of a sesquiterpene alcohol (O15H26O) in this sample of 

 the crude oil of this species, and from the figures given 

 above, this alcohol is assumed to correspond to that occur- 

 ring so plentifully in the oil of M. Smithii. 



(c) Melaleuca Smithii. 

 This is the common broad leaved Melaleuca growing 

 in the neighbourhood of Sydney, Gosford, Terrigal and 

 surrounding districts. How much further north of the last 

 locality it extends is not yet known, but its southern limit 

 is not much below Sydney. 



We have investigated the oil of this tree from three 

 localities, and the results thus obtained agree very well 

 with each other, but differ considerably from those of the 

 northern form (M. Maideni) and show no resemblance to 

 "cajuput" oil, as can be seen from the following. 





Yield 



Sp. gr. 



Cineol 



Solubility in 



Rotation Refractive 





Locality. 



per 



at 



per 



Alcohol by 



index 







cent. 



15° 



cent. 



Weight. 



a D at 22° 





Kose Bay, Sydney 



0-607 



0-8815 



about 



1-7 vols. 70% 



+ 11°. 8 1-4812 



31 



18/12/1911. 







1 











Terrigal, N.8.W. 



0-923 



0-9003 



less 



2 vols. 70% 



+6°.7 



1-4824 



33 



21/12/1911. 







than 2 











Gosford, N.S.W. 



0-495 



0-8976 



about 



2 vols. 70% 



+5°. 8 



1-4806 



6-5 



20/9/1899. 







5 











