— 78 - 



of the stocks carried over from the previous year, have kept prices at a 

 high level since then, and at the present time the quotations for qualities 

 of high ester content still remain unchanged, although since the beginning 

 of the year there has been an absence of important transactions in the 

 producing centres. According to recent statements by our informant, 

 only a few isolated small lots have been carried over into the new year, 

 and a further tightening of the quotations is confidently expected if during 

 the spring a fresh increase in the demand should become perceptible. It 

 would be premature at this early stage to draw any inferences so far as 

 the new crop is concerned, for the result thereof will mainly depend upon 

 the weather prevailing during the months of June and July; but this much 

 is certain, that even if the crop is abundant it will not result in a serious 

 reduction of prices, because between now and the autumn the stocks in 

 all probability will have been exhausted to the last drop. In the course of 

 time it has become evident that the entire production of lavender oil in the 

 south of France is barely sufficient for the world's requirements, and that 

 an excess of the production over the demand would only be possible if 

 new districts could be opened up to the cultivation of lavender. The stocks 

 of our own distillate, which were still fairly considerable towards the end 

 of the year, are now also drawing to an end, for which reason we are 

 likewise forced to consider an increase in the price in the course of the 

 next few months as unavoidable. 



From a French lavender oil (d 15 o 0,889; a — 6° 20'; sap. v. 99 = 34,65% 

 linalyl acetate, not 36,6 °/o, as stated by the author), F. Elze 1 ) has isolated 

 two new constituents, thymol and nerol, both of which occurred in a 

 fraction boiling between 85 and 100° (5 mm.) (d 15 o 0,916; « — 3°; sap. v. 

 216 = 75,6% linalyl acetate). The thymol was isolated in the customary 

 manner with soda liquor; it melted at 50 to 51° (m. p. of the phenyl 

 urethane 107 to 107,5°; m. p. of the nitroso-derivative 160 to 160,5°). 

 In those fractions of the oil previously treated with soda liquor which 

 reacted with phthalic anhydride, nerol was found to be present: di 5 o 0,880, 

 « D ±0°, m. p. of the tetrabromide 118 to 118,5°, m. p. of the diphenyl 

 urethane 50°. 



Only an examination of unquestionably genuine material may be able 

 to decide the question whether thymol is really a normal constituent of 

 lavender oil or whether, perhaps, it had become incorporated by some 

 mischance in the oil examined by Elze. 



On the detection of foreign esters in lavender oil see p. 149. 



Lemongras Oil. Several years ago Stapf 2 ) pointed out that the 

 differences in the degree of solubility in alcohol of lemongras oil samples 



*) Chem. Ztg. 34 (1910), 1029. 

 2 ) Comp. Report April 1907, 33. 



