— 72 — 



Sweet Orange Oil: di 5o 0,848 to 0,853, « D20 o +95° 30' to +98°, « D of 

 the first 10% of the distillate not at all or but slightly lower than « D of 

 the original oil, n D20O 1,473 to 1,475, evaporation residue 1,5 to 4%. 



Estragon Oil. Roure-Bertrand Fils 1 ) report on a distillate of estragon 

 prepared by themselves, which was distinguished from the usual commercial 

 oils chiefly by its high specific gravity, but also by its greater solubility. The 

 constants of this oil were as follow: d uo 0,9814, « D +2°56', sap. v. 29,8, 

 sol in 4 vols, and more 80°/o alcohol. It is not clear from their report 

 what is the reason of these unusual values. 



From the saponification-value stated above, Roure-Bertrand Fils esti- 

 mate a linalyl acetate content of 10,4°/o, but they do not state whether 

 this body, which up to the present has not been detected in estragon oil, 

 was actually found present in their sample. 



Eucalyptus Oils. Business in the two Australian varieties which 

 are listed by us has been unsatisfactory to this extent that under the 

 pressure of a considerable over-production the selling prices leave hardly 

 any profit. 



According to Rabak 2 ) large quantities of eucalyptus oil are produced 

 in California, although the trees are not grown for their oil, but for their 

 wood, the oil being only distilled as a by-product. 



In an English contemporary 8 ) we find a short reference to the 

 employment of eucalyptus oil in metallurgy in Australia. Refractory ores 

 are ground with water to which a little eucalyptus oil has been added, 

 so that the mineral particles are brought to the surface. The oil of 

 Eucalyptus Amygdalina is chiefly used for this purpose, — probably be- 

 cause it is the cheapest. We hear from Australia that, as a result of the 

 demand from this source the manufacture of oils containing phellandrene 

 has greatly increased. At the present moment the output of such oil is 

 about one ton per week, and this quantity may perhaps be increased to 

 5 or 10 tons weekly. 



In our last Report 4 ) we referred to a discussion on the physiological 

 action of certain eucalyptus oils, and left it an open question whether 

 the therapeutic value of the oil actually lies in its antiseptic properties, 

 as is often claimed to be the case. But as the oils are especially esteemed 

 on account of their expectorant action, which is due in the first place 



2 ) Berichte von Roure-Bertrand Fils, October 1910, 43. 



2 ) U. S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry, Bulletin No. 195, p. 38. 



8 ) Chemist and Druggist 77 (1910), 724, 811. 



4 ) Report October 1910, 65. 



