Commercial notes and scientific information. 95 



Kawa, but blennal (santalyl carbonate) and allosane (santalol allophanate) are either 

 insufficient or wholly inactive. The experiments with African copaiba balsam (Baharnum 

 africanum) gave no definite result. Matico oil and gurjun balsam were ineffective. 

 Santalol energetically arrests inflammation. Singularly enough the author describes 

 santalol, which is in reality a sesquiterpene alcohol, as camphoric ester. Unfortu- 

 nately it is impossible to determine whether Pohl in his experiments actually employed 

 pure santalol, inasmuch as he fails to give any data concerning the physical and 

 chemical properties of the preparations used by him. This also applies specially to 

 the sandalwood oils employed in the experiments. Judging by the values given in his 

 table the action of these oils was most unequal, which points either to great differences 

 in their quality or to adulteration of some of the oils. 



Sandalwood Oil, West Indian. The trade in West Indian sandalwood oil has 

 profited from the advance in East Indian oil to this extent that sales have been brisker, 

 because unfortunately West Indian oil plays a considerable part in the "cheapening" 

 of the East Indian article. We have lately again made contracts for large parcels of 

 West Indian wood, and we shall therefore doubtless be able to continue to supply 

 our many customers in the future at advantageous prices. 



Sassafras Oil. According to information received from our New York branch, 

 there has lately been a more liberal supply pf oil from the sources of production, 

 and the difficulties to which we alluded in our last Report therefore appear to be 

 removed. In making purchases our friends should act with the utmost caution, because 

 adulteration with artificial sassafras oil, a camphor oil fraction manufactured in the 

 United States, is very frequently resorted to. Cheap sassafras oils are always suspect, 

 to say the least. 



Savin Oil. It is becoming more and more difficult to procure savin oil of normal 

 quality, because the collectors of the herb in the Tyrol are constantly demanding higher 

 prices. Until such time as we are able to put an end to the inconvenience resulting 

 from this state of things, great scarcity will continue to prevail in the article, and we 

 have been compelled to increase our prices accordingly. It would be very desirable 

 if new sources of production of the raw material (Frondes sabince) were opened up, 

 and we should be very grateful to our readers, especially to those who reside abroad, 

 if they would interest themselves in this question. 



Shiu Oil. According to a report by the British Consul at Tamsui 1 ) on the trade 

 of Formosa in the year 1911, the Camphor Monopoly Bureau has made attempts to 

 prepare linalool on a large scale from shiu oil, concerning which matter we have 

 repeatedly reported 2 ). The tree in question is probably a species of Cinnamomum 

 or Machilus; it is known in Formosa as Shu-sho-boku or Ch'ou chang (= stinking 

 camphor tree) while the oil is known as Ch'ou yu (= stinking oil). 



The Monopoly Bureau is now in a position to supply about 65 000 lbs. shiu oil, 

 but it is said that there is sufficient raw material available to raise the output to 

 2500000 or 3000000 lbs., the linalool-content of which is liable to great fluctuations. 



*) Board of Trade Journal 78 (1912), 650. Also comp. 0*7, Paint and Drug Reporter 82 (1912), No. 15, 

 p. 38; Chemist and Druggist 81 (1912), 454; Perfum. and Essent Oil Record 3 (1912), 239. — 2 ) Comp. our 

 Report October 1912, 103. 



