- 130 — 



under the general directions of the Pharmacopoeia is 15 minutes, but according to our ex- 

 perience this is not always sufficient for the complete saponification of santalyl acetate, and 

 it might therefore, under certain conditions, give values which are too low. In order to make 

 sure that all the santalyl acetate has been saponified, the flask should be kept on the boiling 

 water-bath for at least 30 minutes, especially in cases where the results after 15 minutes 

 saponification have been found too low. 



The calculation is made according to the formula: 



o/o Santalol = * ' * . 



s — a • 0,021 



a being the quantity (in cc.) of seminormal potash-solution consumed and s the quantity (in 

 grams) of acetylated oil used for saponificatiion. 



Thyme Oil (Oleum Thymi). Colourless, yellowish or faintly reddish; 

 di 5 o not below 0,900; soluble in 3 vols, of a mixture of 100 cc. alcohol 

 and 14 cc. water 1 ); phenol-content (thymol and carvacrol) not less than 20°/ . 



x ) This mixture corresponds to an alcohol of 79 to 80 p. c. by volume. 



Thymol (Thymolum). Considerable, colourless, transparent crystals. 

 Sol. p. 49 to 50° *); soluble in less than 1 vol. of alcohol, ether, chloro- 

 form, as well as in 2 parts of soda liquor and in about 1100 parts of 

 water. Thymol sinks in water, but melted thymol floats on water. 

 Evaporation-residue on the water-bath not more than 0,1 °/ ; colour reaction; 

 test for absence of carbolic acid. 



x ) It is not quite apparent why the Pharmacopoeia quotes the solidifying point of thymol, 

 while under menthol, for instance, >the melting point is indicated. The m. p. of thymol lies 

 between 50,5 ard 51,5°. 



Turpentine Oil (Oleum Terebenthinw). Colourles or pale yellowish; 

 di 5 o 0,860 to 0,877; « D -j- 15 to — 40 01 ); principal fraction boils over bet- 

 ween 155 and 165°; soluble in 7 vols, alcohol. 



*) This admits American as well as French turpentine oil. 



Turpentine Oil, rectified (Oleum Terebenthince rectificatum). Colour- 

 less; the alcoholic solution should not redden moist litmus paper; di 5o 0,860 

 to 0,870; boiling -temperature 155 to 162°. 



Russian Pharmacopoeia, 6 th edition, 1910. 



The 5 th edition of the Russian Pharmacopoeia, which has been in 

 force since the year 1902, has now been replaced by a new edition. So 

 far as essential oils are concerned, however, the work should be descri- 

 bed as a reprint rather than as a revision, for notwithstanding the many 

 obsolete directions and faults of the old Pharmacopoeia to which we called 

 attention at the time when we reviewed the work 1 ), it has not been con- 

 sidered necessary to submit each separate article to a thorough revision 

 and to pay regard to recent literature on the subject; on the contrary, 

 with two or three exceptions the old requirements for essential oils have 

 simply been reincorporated, together with the old errors, into the new work. 



A ) Report October 1904, 93. 



