142 H. G. SMITH. 



alcoholic potash of known value, and titrated with semi-normal 

 sulphuric acid, the saponification figure was 42-3 from which, 

 taking the molecular weight of the ester as 196, we obtain 14*8 

 per cent, of ester or 12-0 per cent, of alcohol originally existing 

 in this fraction, considering the molecular formula to be C 10 H 18 O. 

 Only a very small quantity of ester is present originally in the 

 crude oil of E. dives, so that an aromatic alcohol is shown to be 

 present in small amount in this oil. 



I wish to express my thanks to my colleague Mr. R. T. 

 Baker, f.l.s., for botanical assistance in the preparation of this 

 paper. 



On an EUCALYPTUS OIL containing 60 Per Cent, of 

 GERANYL ACETATE. 



By Henry G. Smith, f.c.s., Assistant Curator, Technological 

 Museum, Sydney. 



[Read before the Royal Society of N. S. Wales, November 7, 1900.'] 



In a paper by Mr. R. T. Baker and myself, " On the Darwinias 

 of Port Jackson and their essential oils," read before this Society, 

 December 6th, 1899, we showed that geraniol occurs in large 

 quantities in the oil distilled from the leaves of Darwinia fasci- 

 cularis; this alcohol can, therefore, be obtained in commercial 

 quantities from plants belonging to the Myrtacete. 



The indigenous flora of Australia is exceedingly rich in plants 

 belonging to this natural order, and it is thus probable that we 

 shall eventually find other plants belonging to the Myrtacea?, 

 besides Darwinia fascicularis and the present Eucalyptus, from 

 which geraniol may be obtainable on a commercial scale. 



During the research on the Eucalypts of New South Wales and 

 their essential oils, now being undertaken at this Museum, the 



