— 83 — 



Iva Oil. With the object of filling-in the somewhat incomplete chemical 

 data available on the subject of iva oil, we have examined in some detail 

 one of our most recent distillates. It had been prepared from the dry- 

 flowering herb, the yield being about 0,37% oil of a bluish-green colour 

 and an intense, narcotic odour, which also reminded of valeric aldehyde, 

 cineole and thujone. The constants were as follow: di 5 o 0,9330, n D2 oo 1,47607, 

 acid v. 7,5, ester v. 18,7, ester v. after acet. 91,5, sol. in 0,7 vols, and 

 more 70% alcohol, with elimination of paraffin. The presence of an alde- 

 hyde (valeraldehyde?), was revealed by the formation of a solid bisulphite- 

 compound when the oil was shaken with bisulphite liquor, but the paucity 

 of the quantity obtained precluded identification. Treatment of the oil 

 with semicarbazide solution yielded a semicarbazone melting at 237,5°, 

 the alcoholic solution of which was dextrorotatory, and which, when de- 

 composed with dilute sulphuric acid, yielded camphor. As was to be 

 expected from the optical behaviour of the semicarbazone, its ethereal 

 solution was lasvorotatory, hence there was no doubt of lsevo-camphor 

 being a hitherto unknown constituent of iva oil. In addition to this body, 

 the oil appears to possess alcoholic constituents, partly esterified, partly 

 in the free state, as is indicated by the saponification values of the original 

 and the acetylated oil. 



Juniper Berry Oil. In the course of last winter we have again 

 worked up several wagon-loads of Italian berries, which on the present 

 occasion constituted the most suitable material for our purpose. They 

 were, it is true, dearer than other varieties, but thanks to the abundant 

 oil-yield we were able to leave our selling-prices unaltered. Hungarian 

 juniper berry oil, as a result of the poor harvest, has been quoted from 

 10 to 15% higher this season than in 1910/1911. 



Ladanum Oil. This as yet little-known oil 1 ) is obtained from lad- 

 anum resin, which is an exudation of bush-like plants belonging to the 

 genus Cystus indigenous to Asia Minor, Crete, Cyprus and a few other 

 islands off the coast of Asia Minor. It has recently been investigated by 

 H. Masson 2 ), who has found it to contain hydrocarbons, phenols, esters, 

 ketones, and sesquiterpene-compounds. Masson now communicates the 

 results of his investigations of the ketones. He treated a fraction boiling at 

 85 to 90° (15 mm.) with hydroxylamine hydrochloride, and obtained an oxime 

 with b. p. 133° (16 mm). From this oxime he regenerated the ketone, 

 which, when purified from primarily produced semicarbazone (m. p. 207°), 

 boiled at 200° (91° at 18 mm.) and was identified as acetophenone by 

 oxidation into benzoic acid. So far this ketone had not been known to 

 occur in volatile oils. 



x ) Gildemeister and Hoffmann, The volatile oils, p. 505. 

 *) Compt. rend. 154 (1912), 517. 



6* 



