— 40 — 



obtained in large quantities, although the heavy demand had gradually 

 driven up the prices from 3/6 at the commencement of the season 

 last winter to 5/- and 5/3. The prospects of the new distilling season 

 are this year again not unfavourable, so that it may be assumed that 

 the first offers of new oil at 5/- will soon be followed by lower quot- 

 ations. Before this new oil is available several months will still pass, 

 and during that time, in view of the reduced stocks, cheaper quot- 

 ations than the present ones can hardly be expected. 



Gingergrass oil was almost entirely absent during the last few 

 months. This oil is now quoted in London at 5/6, and consequently 

 is dearer than palmarosa oil. 



The last time we published the results of our examination of 

 gingergrass oil 1 ) we stated that we had not yet succeeded in identifying 

 dihydrocuminic alcohol by a solid derivative. Now, we recently found 

 in a-naphthyl isocyanate a reagent, which, similar to phenyl isocyanate, 

 forms with alcohols naphthyl urethanes, and which in the present 

 case reacts with dihydrocuminic alcohol, with formation of a solid 

 derivative. The reagent in question has not yet been used for the 

 characterization of alcohols, and we believe that we are justified in 

 recommending its use with those bodies in all cases where non- 

 crystallising urethanes are obtained with phenyl isocyanate. Un- 

 fortunately, the naphthyl urethanes appear to have the disagreeable 

 property of a very difficult combustion in the elementary analysis. 

 At least we have in the analyses of all the following derivatives 

 obtained carbon values which differed up to 3°/ from those required 

 in theory. On the other hand, the hydrogen figures generally agreed 

 well with those calculated theoretically. With the exception of one 

 analysis of the geraniol derivative, we have always obtained negative 

 results, in spite of numerous repetitions. 



Geranyl naphthyl urethane. A mixture of equimolecular 

 quantities geraniol and a-naphthyl isocyanate heats fairly rapidly, and 

 congeals into a solid mass already in 12 hours. For purification, 

 dilute methyl alcohol is most suitable. Long needles, m. p. 47 to 48 . 



0,1710 g. subst: 0,4871 g. C0 2 , 0,1281 g. H 2 0. 

 Found: Calculated for C 21 H 25 N0 2 : 



C 77,68<y 7 8,o20/ 



H 8,32% 8,74% 



Dihydrocuminyl naphthyl urethane. The crude product which 

 solidified after 24 hours, is a mixture of two naphthyl urethanes, from 

 which one, the more difficultly soluble, can be isolated by fractional 

 crystallisation by means of methyl alcohol. Brilliant prisms of the 



*) Journ. f. prakt. Chem, II. 71 (1905), 459; Report April 1905, 41. 



