— 107 — 



upon the London market which differ from those formerly imported in 

 their lower sp. gr., greater rotation to the right, and especially in their 

 lower ester-content It is suspected that these differences are due to a 

 change in the method of distillation or in the selection of the material, 

 not only the leaves, but also unripe fruit, young branches, 8jc. being 

 worked up. 



We have recently repeatedly observed a similar state of things, 

 and have been in correspondence with the producer on the subject. 

 Normal petitgrain oil has a sp. gr. of 0,887 to 0,900, rotation from + 4° 

 to — 2° 10' and an ester-content varying from 40 to 60°/o, but in the oils 

 to which we are now referring the sp. gr. fell as low as 0,884 and the 

 rotation ranged up to -f- 9°. Moreover, these oils were poorer in ester 

 (in some cases containing only 35°/o or less); and, most important of all, 

 they were not equal to the standard as regards odour. The producer 

 ascribes their abnormal behaviour, among other things, to the unfavourable 

 weather and a change in the condition of the soil, but we are rather in- 

 clined to think that the distilling-material has been less carefully selected, 

 and that possibly fruit in an advanced state of maturity has also been dis- 

 tilled along with the other material. This would explain all the abnorm- 

 ities referred to above. 



Pine-needle Oils of all varieties continued to be available in suf- 

 ficient quantities. The demand has remained normal, and no alterations 

 in price of any account are to be recorded. 



Oil from cones of Abies pectinata DC. (Ol. Templinum) is now produced 

 in abundant quantities by the German forests, whereas the Swiss supply 

 has ceased to count because of the high prices asked for it. 



Oil of Robinia Pseudo-Acacia. In one of our previous Reports 1 ) 

 we mentioned that Verschaffelt had called attention to the fact that the 

 odour of the flowers of Robinia Pseudo-Acacia (N. O. Leguminosae), pointed 

 to the presence of the methylester of anthranilic acid. F. Elze 2 ) has 

 recently been able to show that the flowers actually do contain this 

 ester. He extracted the flowers with a readily volatile solvent and obtained 

 a very dark coloured oil with a peculiar basic odour (yield not stated) 

 which, when diluted showed quite the natural odour of the flower. This 

 oil had the following constants: b. p. 60 to 150° (5 mm.), di 5 o 1,05, and 

 contained 9°/o ester, calculated for methyl anthranilate. In alcoholic solution 

 it gave a clearly perceptible blue fluorescence. 



By diluting the oil with ethereal sulphuric acid, Elze isolated the 

 methyl anthranilate (m. p. 25°). Next, after neutralising with soda, indol 

 (m. p. 52°) was isolated in the form of its picrate, and traces of pyridin-like 

 bases, insoluble in light petroleum, were also detected. 



*) Report November 1908, 161. 

 2 ) Chem. Ztg. 34 (1910), 814. 



