— 77 — 



North America. The yield was 0,025 °/ . The oil has a yellow colour and 

 a somewhat disagreeable, acrid odour: dH 0,9410, a ±0. Of its constituents, 

 only the presence of furfurol was ascertained. 



Juniper berry Oil. Considerable quantities have been distilled by 

 us during the past winter, plenty of material being available at advantageous 

 prices. Notwithstanding this our stocks are beginning to be seriously 

 depleted, as a result of an extraordinarily strong demand which has just 

 recently set in from America, and it appears questionable whether our 

 supplies will hold out until the autumn. We therefore suggest to our 

 customers that they should cover their requirements betimes, in particular 

 because, as the supplies diminish, prices may advance. 



Karambusi Oil. From the bark of the Karambusi tree (Warburgia 

 Stuhlmanni, Engl., N. O. Winteranaceas), W. Lenz 1 ) has obtained by 

 steam-distillation 0,6% of a viscous, yellowish-red oil, with a green 

 fluorescence in incident light, and an odour resembling that of sandal- 

 wood oil. The examination of this oil resulted as follows: d 20 o 0,9864, 

 «D2oo — 41,2°, n D20 o 1,51269, sap. v. 11,2, ester v. after acet. 111,5, miscible 

 with absolute alcohol; making a clear solution with its own weight of 90% 

 alcohol, turbidity ensuing upon the addition of more alcohol. The oil 

 boiled between 100 and 202°, at 24 mm. press. With sodium bisulphite 

 an aldehydic constituent was obtained from the oil, but no details of this 

 body are given. Lenz also discovered in the oil small proportions of 

 sulphur compounds. He describes the oil as an adulterant of East- African 

 sandalwood oil. To this we would add that the product which is occasionally 

 brought to Europe under the name of African sandalwood oil is quite 

 different from the East Indian oil, and is of no importance so far as 

 European trade is concerned. Karambusi oil, therefore, can at most 

 be regarded as an adulterant of local importance, but we are inclined to 

 doubt altogether whether sandalwood oil is distilled in East Africa to any 

 extent. An oil which we distilled from East African sandalwood some 

 years ago 2 ), and of which the constants corresponded with those of Lenz's 

 oil, was derived from a species of Osyris and was quite different from 

 East Indian sandalwood oil. 



Lavender Oil. The attitude of reserve shown by the buyers, to 

 which we referred in our sketch of the lavender oil market last autumn, 

 has not been of long duration. A rather serious advance in the prices 

 occurred suddenly owing to the unexpected appearance in the market of 

 several Grasse firms which bought up large quantities, thereby destroying 

 all hopes of bringing the producers to a more yielding frame of mind. 

 A considerable demand from the United States, and the quick diminution 



i) Berichte d. deutsch pharm. Ges. 20 (1910), 351. 

 2 ) Report November 1908, 109. 



