— 85 — 



signs whatever of an important change in the market, be it upwards or 

 downwards, within the next few months, and it is too early of course to 

 hazard an opinion concerning the coming crop. Generally speaking the 

 rainy winter-weather has favoured the development of the plants. 



F. Delphin has published two articles 1 ) calling attention to two new 

 lavender oil adulterants which have come under his notice. In the one 

 case he concludes that in all probability the adulterant was cocoa-nut 

 ether, although the acid which was separated out from the lavender oil 

 in question, while possessing the same acid value as the acid from 

 cocoa-nut ether, showed a decidedly higher iodine value and a somewhat 

 lower m. p. These discrepancies, however, were to be explained by re- 

 sidual impurities from the lavender oil. 



In the second case, Delphin found phthalic ester to have been the 

 adulterant. The acid which was separated out from the saponified oil, 

 after being purified and several times recrystallised, melted at 198,5° 

 with evolution of gas (phthalic acid from the anhydride melting in a 

 similar manner at 198°) and gave the same reactions as phthalic acid. 



By applying the method proposed in our Report of October 1910, 

 p. 61, an adulteration with the esters in question (which belong to the 

 esters of sparingly-volatile acids) would be detected, in the course of the 

 determination of the difference between the saponification value and acid 

 value II, by the increase in this difference. It would therefore be im- 

 possible to overlook it, and all that would remain to be done would be 

 the identification of the acid in question. 



In connection with the above we print a table containing the analytical 

 values of a few samples of lavender oil submitted to us for our opinion. 

 Sample No. 3 in this table is especially worthy of note, because here the 

 abnormally low acid value II (with the corresponding excessive difference), 

 together with the result of the test for terpinyl acetate and glyceryl esters 

 appeared to point to sophistication, whereas in reality they were the result 

 of a resinification. In such cases the sample in question should be 

 rectified with steam. Renewed testing, together with the determination 

 of the distillation -residue (which, in the case under review amounted 

 to 8%), will then show whether the cause is adulteration or resinification. 



As regards sample No. 5, with an ester-content of 51°/ , it is hardly 

 necessary to point out that when 10 cc. seminormal potash liquor are used 

 Jthe required excess of alkali is too small, and that for that reason 15 cc. 

 should be used. It follows that, to obviate erroneous conclusions in the 

 test for terpinyl acetate, 30 or 15 cc. should then be employed under 

 otherwise similar conditions. 



*) Svensk Farmaceutisk tidskrift 1908, No. 22; 1912, No. 5. From a reprint kindly 

 sent to us. 



