Commercial notes and scientific information. 105 



fractions is exported under the name of "Russian turpentine oil." According to Schindel- 

 meiser the original product contains from 40 to 70 p. c. of fractions boiling between 155 

 to 160°, consisting chiefly of pinene. 



Parry mentions the following constants as being characteristic of genuine rectified 

 Russian turpentine oil : d 0,8646, « D -f- 8°, n 1 ,4890. From 68 p. c. of the oil boils between 

 155 and 160°. 



L. F. Hawley and R. C. Palmer 1 ) have gone thoroughly into the preparation of 

 so-called wood-turpentine. They have come to the conclusion that it is difficult to 

 set up general rules to be observed during the distilling process. For instance, it is 

 impossible to recommend a definite degree of steam-pressure, for not only the oil- 

 yields, but also the cost of getting up steam under pressure must be taken into con- 

 sideration. In breaking up the wood, not only the desired oil-yield, but also the utili- 

 sation of the exhausted chips must be taken into account. 



The authors made the interesting discovery that dipentene is pre-existent in the 

 wood itself, and is not formed only during the distilling. Exhausted sawdust was mixed 

 with 1,175 p. c. turpentine and steam-distilled both at ordinary and at raised pressure. 

 The essential oil thus obtained contains no dipentene, but in wood-turpentine the pre- 

 sence of this terpene may be detected by its tetrabromide, m. p. 125 to 126°. 



Leuchter 2 ) recommends for the differentiation of turpentine oil and pine tar oil 

 reactions with phloroglucinol or nitrobenzaldehyde. Turpentine oil assumes a palish 

 yellow colour in a solution of phloroglucinol with a mixture of dilute alcohol, glycerol 

 and hydrochloric acid, while pine tar oil turns pink to ruby red. With a solution of 

 o-nitrobenzaldehyde in aqueous-alcoholic soda liquor (about 2 p. c.) turpentine oil 

 acquires a bright yellow colour, while pine tar oil turns yellowish-brown to black. 

 These reactions are said also to make it possible, up to a certain degree, to ascertain 

 whether pine tar oil or so-called cellulose oil has been added to oil of turpentine, 

 inasmuch as with cellulose oil the reaction is either weak or is entirely absent. The 

 nitrobenzaldehyde reaction rarely fails with pine-tar oils. 



Valerian Oil. The anatomy of the oil-cells of valerian root is referred to on p. 132. 



Vetiver Oil. We are so excellently placed for procuring vetiver root of the finest 

 quality from all the different countries of production, that we are able to take the 

 utmost advantage of our direct supplies. The quality of our stocks of oil is excep- 

 tionally fine, and we must not omit to call attention to the fact that our price has 

 lately been reduced again. The quotations for pure Reunion-oil are out of proportion 

 high, although the official export statistics appear to indicate that there is by no means 

 any scarcity of supplies, the exports in 1912 having reached 1421 kilos, as compared 

 with 975 kilos in the previous year. In 1910 the shipments amounted to 1007 kilos. 

 It would therefore appear that the upward movement is due to speculative manipulations, 

 but to these we have grown accustomed with Reunion products. 



Several years ago Genvresse ancj Langlois 3 ) ascertained the presence in vetiver 

 oil of a hydrocarbon, vetivene, CisOaiy aij alcohol, vetivenol, CioH^O, and an ester 



x ) U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service ^Btill. 109. Washington, 1912. — -) Chew. Fev. ub. d. Feft- 

 u. Earz-Industrie 19 (1912), 143; Fharm. ZentralJi. 54 (1913), 177. — 3 ) Compt. rend. 135 (1902), 1059. — Chew.. 

 Ztg. 26 (1902), 501 ; Report October 1902, 81 ; April 1903, 76. 



