- 64 - 



attributed by the author to the various stages of development of the 

 shoots, and to the different places of origin of the specimens. 



Oil of Pinus Sabiniana Douglas. The oil from the tur- 

 pentine of this conifer growing in California was first examined by 

 Wenzell 1 ). According to him it consists almost entirely of the hydro- 

 carbon abietene. Thorpe 2 ) and others proved than Wen z ell's abietene 

 is normal heptane. The presence of a low paraffin hydrocarbon in 

 conifer oils had up to that time not yet been observed, and for this 

 reason it was believed by others 3 ) that the oil examined had been 

 mixed with a petroleum fraction. As Thorpe examined a distillate 

 which also originated from W en z ell's source, his examinations did 

 not prove the genuine character of the crude material and the actual 

 presence of heptane. In the meantime Kremers 4 ) has pointed out 

 that there can be hardly any doubt as to the purity of the material 

 examined by the above-named authors. 



In order to become more closely acquainted with this interesting 

 oil, we obtained from the manufacturers of abietene (Abietine Medical 

 Company, Oroville, Cal., U. S. A.) the balsam serving as crude material. 

 In the prospectus recommending abietene as "Butte-Tine" against 

 all possible diseases, it is only stated with regard to the origin that 

 it is obtained from the balsam of a pine which is only found in Butte 

 Creek and Butte County, California. But from the above-mentioned 

 information from Kremers the conclusion may be drawn that this 

 pine is probably identical with Pinus Sabiniana Douglas. 



The balsam represents a viscid, only just flowing brown yellow mass 

 with a greenish glimmer, and with a not unpleasant odour reminding 

 of sweet orange. It is soluble in alcohol, ether, benzene, and partly 

 soluble in petroleum ether. Acid no. cold J 56; sap. no. hot 179,05. 



We obtained from the balsam by distillation with water vapour, 

 8,44 °/ almost water-white essential oil, and 91,3% yellow brittle resin. 



The oil had the following properties: di 5 o 0,6962; «d — o°9'; 

 behaviour on boiling: 97 to 98,5° 5°/ ; 98,5 to 99 Sy°/ ; above 

 99 8°/ . The principal fraction of the b. p. 98,5 to 99 was optic- 

 ally inactive, had d^o 0,6880, and corresponded in its properties with 

 those given by Thorpe for his heptane. We are therefore able to 

 confirm the previous information on the essential oil of Pinus Sabiniana. 



The portions of the oil boiling above 99 , could be split up by 

 fractional distillation in vacuo into 7 fractions of not very uniform 

 boiling points, which at 12 mm. pressure lay between 43 and 103 . 



*) Amer. Journ. Pharm. 44 (1872), 97. Pharmaceutical Journal III. 2 (1872), 789. 



2 ) Liebig's Annalen 198 (1879), 364. 



3 ) Comp. Gildemeister and Hoffmann, The Volatile Oils, p. 254. 



4 ) Pharm. Review 18 (1900), 165. 



