— 84 — t 



Neroli Oil. We had already announced in our last Report that the 

 price of the present year's distillate would be about 400 fcs. This estimate 

 has proved to be correct, for although the crop in respect of quantity has 

 not been quite equal to that of 1911, and owing to the cool weather during 

 the distilling season the oil-yield left a great deal to be desired, the 

 Societe Cooperative fixed the prices of flowers at 70 to 75 centimes per kilo, 

 probably because it was thought that a higher figure might adversely affect 

 the demand. In spite of this, the Societe only succeeded in disposing of 

 1100000 kilos of flowers and was therefore compelled this season, as on 

 previous occasions, to distil the remainder itself. 800000 kilos flowers 

 produced about 760 kilos of neroli oil which, taken with the balance left 

 over from last season, form a very considerable quantity and are hardly 

 likely to be saleable without some sacrifice. Hence the tendency of the 

 market has been weak, although it was only here and there that oil was 

 offered at less than 400 fcs. and in such cases it was mostly admixed 

 with petitgrain oil, or with linaloe and bergamot oil, distilled over orange- 

 flowers. 



In former years most of the perfumery manufacturers were wont to 

 follow with some uneasiness the price-fluctuations of this costly and im- 

 portant oil, but the introduction upon the market of our artificial neroli 

 oil has suddenly freed them from all care in this matter, for it was very 

 soon recognised that it was impossible to over-estimate the advantages 

 of this cheap substitute. We have laboured without cessation to perfect 

 the quality and we strongly advise those of our friends who have up to 

 the present assumed a sceptical attitude towards this exquisite perfume 

 to convince themselves by practice that our repeated and perhaps appar- 

 ently somewhat high-flown recommendations of our artificial neroli oil are 

 thoroughly justified. 



Nigella Oil. The beautiful blue fluorescence of the oil of Nigella 

 damascena, L. (N. O. Ranunculacese) is due to the presence of an alkaloid, 

 damascenine, tho the synthesis of which by A. J. Ewins we have already 

 referred briefly in our last Report, p. 96. Since that time, Ewins 1 ) has 

 described the results of his investigations of damascenine in greater detail, 

 and we are therefore able to amplify our previous references by the 

 following data: 50 g. m-hydroxybenzoic acid were dissolved in 200 cc. methyl 

 alcohol and a solution of 30 g. sodium hydroxide in a minimum quantity 

 of water was added. The mixture was then treated with 90 g. methyl 

 sulphate, with which it reacted vigerously. The reaction was mitigated 

 by the addition of 50 p. c. aqueous potash solution. 60 grams of methyl 

 sulphate were than added in small quantities alternately with the solution 

 of potassium hydroxide. From the aqueous liquid m-methoxybenzoic acid 

 separates out upon the addition of hydrochloric acid. M. p. 107 to 108°. 



x ) Journ. chem. Soc. 101 (1912), 544. 



