Commercial motes and scientific information. 27 



examination of the bark had shown it to be derived from Cusparia trifoliata, Engl. 

 (N. O. Rutacece), and the material was therefore genuine Angostura bark. The yield 

 of oil was 1,03 p. c. The oil was of a pale-brown colour and even in 90 p. c. alcohol 

 (9 vols.) it only gave a turbid solution; di 5 o 0,9285; « D — 7° 32'; n D20O 1,50744; acid v. 

 1,8; ester v. 5,5; ester v. after acet. 35,7. 



The low value of the opt. rot. is remarkable, for according to the literary references 

 the limits of value hitherto observed in Angostura bark oil range from — 36 to — 50°. 



Anise Oil, Russian. According to the information supplied to us by our corre- 

 spondents since the publication of our last Report, the Russian anise crop of 1912 was 

 an average one, the area under cultivation (about 3600 dessiatines), having produced 

 about 150000 poods (= about 2400000 kilos). A report from another quarter estimates 

 the output at 190000 poods, or, say 3000000 kilos. The second anise-fair of the season, 

 held at Alexejefka on September 26, was completely spoiled by rain, with the result 

 that the supplies offered were light, and unequal to meet the strong demand for export. 

 Accordingly the prices were high and the fact that neither seed nor oil was carried 

 over into the new season from the 1911 crop assisted in giving a firmer tone to the 

 market. The quality of the new seed, so far as appearance is concerned, proved to 

 be on the whole satisfactory; the oil-yield, although better than in 1911, only reached 

 an average of about 2,6 p. c. Throughout the winter-months prices kept at about the 

 same level at which they stood shortly after the harvest, but lately an upward move- 

 ment has shown itself, because only a portion of the fields could be prepared for the 

 new season's sowing, the frost having set in very early in October. From this it is 

 concluded that the area under cultivation will suffer a serious reduction. It is there- 

 fore probable that before long the prices of anise oil will have to follow suit, for the 

 oil-stocks are by no means heavy enough to prevent the fluctuations in the value of 

 raw material from affecting the position of the market In any case it is certain that 

 the tendency is very firm at present and that our quotations are fully worthy of 

 attention. 



For some time past a foreign firm has been offering anethol under the designation 

 of "anethol 23°". As in many quarters this designation may lead to the belief that 

 this is a particularly exquisite product with a solidifying point of 23°, we should like 

 to point out that the above qualification can apply only to the melting point. We 

 have already repeatedly ascertained in the case of our own preparation, which as 

 regards all its properties is unsurpassed by any other, that the solidifying point of 

 absolutely pure anethol lies between 21 and 22° and its m. p. between 22,5 and 23°. 

 Theoretically the two values should be in accordance, but the solidifying point is 

 usually found to be a little lower than the m. p., a circumstance which is connected 

 with a slight delay in the beginning of the crystallisation or with cooling below the 

 solidifying point. For the evaluation of anethol the determination of the solidifying 

 point is nevertheless to be preferred to that of the m. p. because the former can be 

 carried out more quickly and with more ease and because its results are absolutely 

 trustworthy, supposing, of course, that the work is always carried on under similar 

 conditions. 



For oils containing anethol, such as Russian anise oil, staranise oil, and fennel 

 oil, the determination of the m. p. is not to be recommended, if only for the reason 

 that these oils consist of mixtures of various constituents and therefore do not melt 

 sharply and suddenly throughout the entire mass, but within a certain interval of 



