— 74 — 



Pine needle Oil from Pinus pumilio. In the oil of the needles 

 from Pinus pumilio ("LatschenJcieferdl") E. Bocker and A. Hahn 1 ) have 

 discovered some new oxygenated bodies. The authors examined an oil 

 which had been freed from terpenes and sesquiterpenes (b. p. 85 to 178°; 

 13 mm.) which they split up into several fractions. A fraction boiling 

 between 148 and 160° (« D — 14° 15'; sap. v. 53) yielded a solid bisulphite 

 compound, from which a liquid with a faint balsamic odour, possessing 

 the elementary formula Ci 5 H 2 6 was regenerated. This body is probably an 

 aldehyde, for with magenta-sulphurous acid a red coloration ensued. Its 

 behaviour towards bromo-glacial acetic acid showed that the compound 

 probably contained a double bond. 



From a fraction boiling between 127 and 148° (13 mm.) the authors 

 obtained a bisulphite compound which was extremely difficult to split up. 

 In the course of the experiment it yielded a lasvorotatory body C15H24O, 

 containing two double bonds. This body is probably of the nature of a ketone. 



Finally, a fraction boiling between 87 and 95° (14 mm.) and possessing 

 the following constants: d 15 o 0,9288, « D — 18° 15', sap. v. 65, was treated 

 with sodium bisulphite, with the result that a highly volatile oil possessing 

 the peculiar aroma of pumilio pine needle oil was liberated. This in- 

 teresting body possesses the following properties: b. p. 216 to 217° 

 (754 mm.), d 15 o 0,9314, d 20 o 0,9288, « D — 15° 0', n D 1,46459, and has the 

 formula C 8 Hi 4 0. In view of its great density and high b. p. the authors 

 regard it as probable that the new compound is of a cyclic character. 

 It neither reacted with magenta-sulphurous acid nor with ammoniacal 

 silver-solution; with permanganate of potassium it yielded a mixture of 

 two acids; hence the body appears to be a ketone. The authors have 

 given it the name of pumilone. Pumilone is a saturated substance, and 

 yields a semicarbazone, m. p. 116 to 117°. It only occurs in the original 

 oil in small proportions, about 1 to 2%. 



Rose Oil, Bulgarian. Most persons interested in the course of the 

 rose oil market have probably suffered severe disappointments this year. 

 In the month of April the prospects were the most favourable imaginable 

 and everybody was trying to get rid of his supplies as quickly as possible. 

 We even heard it said that some of the more important Bulgarian traders 

 at that time entered into contracts for delivery of the present year's oil 

 at low prices. But at the end of May it suddenly became clear that the 

 crop would fall considerably behind that of the previous year owing to 

 the want of rain, and partly also to the serious damage done by insects. 



In the producing districts the prices for new oil started at about 

 1300 frcs. per kilo, and ; supported by the fact that no 1910 oil remained 

 available on the spot, they rapidly advanced to their present figure of 

 about 2000 frcs. This quotation, too, may be exceeded before long, for 



J ) journ. f. prakt. Chem. II. 83 (1911), 489. 



