- 31 — 



in chloroform and precipitating with methyl alcohol it can be split up into 

 a less soluble portion, m. p. 100 to 101° ([«] D — 285°), and a more readily 

 soluble portion, m. p. 101 to 102° ([«] D — 175°). From the nitrosochloride 

 Francesconi and Sernagiotto l ) obtained dihydrocuminic aldehyde. 



By eliminating nitrosylchloride from the nitrosochloride the authors 

 obtained cM-phellandrene ([«] D + 19,65 to 53,32°). Whether the oil also 

 contains «-phellandrene is very doubtful. The authors 2 ) prepared the di- 

 hydrocuminic aldehyde by prolonged boiling of the nitrosochloride with a 

 mixture of 3 parts water and 10 parts acetic acid. Its characters are as 

 follow: b. p. 136 to 140° (15 mm.), di 3 o 0,9825, n 1,528. The semicarbazone 

 melts between 197 and 198°. When oxidised with oxide of silver in al- 

 coholic solution it forms cuminic acid (m. p. 116 to 117°). 



From the phyto-physiological standpoint, the investigations of Fran- 

 cesconi and Sernagiotto 3 ) into the localisation and distribution of the 

 essential oil in the Bupleurum plant are also interesting. The younger the 

 leaves, the greater their essential-oil content. The presence of oil may 

 be detected not only by extraction but also microscopically by means of 

 osmic acid, "Soudan III" (aminoazobenzolazo-/?-naphthol) or Mesnard's 

 reagent. 



The authors 4 ) give the following particulars of the oil-yield: the branches 

 of plants distilled at Laconi (prov. of Cagliari) contained l°/o oil; the leaves, 

 during the flowering period, yielded from 1 to 3°/o, and the flowers dis- 

 tilled separately, 3,75% oil. The calculation of the yields appears to be 

 based upon the green herb. 



Cajuput Oil. Business in this article has taken a somewhat more 

 animated turn within the past six months, and as a result the export figures 

 up to the end of November, which are the latest available, show an advance 

 as compared with those of the corresponding period of last year. The 

 shipments were as follows: — 



1911 1862 baskets 



1910 1536 



1909 1309 



As mentioned in our last Report, the total exports for the year 1910 

 amounted to 1739 baskets, that is to say considerably less than the 

 shipments of the first eleven months of 1911. 



Ml x ) Atti R. Accad. dei Lincei, Roma (5), 20 (1911), II. 325. Quoted from Chem. Zentralbl. 

 1912, I. 345. 



2 ) Atti R. Accad. dei Lincei, Roma (5), 20 (1911), II. 388. Quoted from Chem. Zentralbl. 

 1912, I. 345. 



3 ) Atti R. Accad. dei Lincei, Roma (5), 20 (1911), II. 111. Quoted from Chem. Zentralbl. 

 1911, II. 1540. 



*) Atti R. Accad. dei Lincei, Roma (5), 20 (1911), II. 230. Quoted from Chem. Zentralbl. 

 1911, II. 1805. 



