— 57 — 



the heavy matico oil and found in it, in addition to matico ether, a 

 hydrocarbon congealing at — 1 8°, and a further phenol ether. The 

 so-called matico ether, as Thorns was able to prove, is composed 

 of two apiols, namely parsley apiol 



OCH 8 O — ,CH 2 



CH :CH.CH<f >0 



H OCH 3 



in a small proportion, and dill apiol 



H O — ,CH 9 



CH.,:CH.CH< 



OCH 3 OCH 3 



as principal constituent. In agreement with the above, two isomeric 

 apiolic acids of the melting point 1 75° and 1 5 1 ° respectively occurred 

 on oxidation. The identification of parsley apiol was perfected by the 

 reduction of the isomerised phenol ether with sodium and alcohol, 

 methylation of the phenol thereby obtained, and nitration of the ether 

 thus formed; the nitro-product was found to be identic with the 

 previously obtained 1 -propyl- 2, 3, 5 -trimethoxy-4 -nitrobenzene. Fromm 

 confirms the results of this examination in a postscript. 



Mignonette (Reseda) Geraniol. The mignonette -plants which 

 owing to an indescribable drought have only flowered most poorly, 

 have given such a small yield that the production of mignonette 

 geraniol has been very limited. It was unfortunately necessary to 

 reduce the allotted quantities very much. However annoying this is, 

 it should be borne in mind that one is absolutely powerless against 

 such abnormal influences of the weather. 



Oil of Monarda citriodora. An examination of the essential 

 oil of Monarda citriodora, made by J. W. Br an del 1 ), has shown the 

 following results: the dried herb contained i°/ of a reddish oil of the 

 specific gravity 0,9437 (20 ), 65°/ of this oil consisting of phenols, of 

 which carvacrol was identified by the benzoyl compound of the nitroso 

 derivative (melting point 1 1 o°), and hydrothymoquinone by its melting 

 point 140 . Citral was found in the oil in a quantity of 1,2 °/ , 

 determined by Sadtler's method. In a fraction of the oil freed 

 from phenol, boiling at 170 to 175 , the author believes to have 

 detected cymene. 



Oil of Monarda didyma. In the Swiss pharmaceutical collec- 

 tion of popular medicines a vegetable drug is found according to 



*) Pharm. Review 22 (1904), 153. 



