— 43 — 



Douglas fir Oil. The Douglas fir (red fir), which ranks among 

 the most widely- distributed and valuable trees of North America and 

 of the great coniferous forests in the North -Western United States, 

 has the following botanical denominations: Pseudotsuga mucronata Sud- 

 worth, P. Douglasii Carriere, P. Douglasii taxifolia Carriere, P. Douglasii 

 denndata Carriere, P. Lindleyana Carriere, P. taxifolia Britton, P. Douglasii 

 var. glauca Mayr, P. taxifolia var. elongata Lemmon, Pinus taxifolia 

 Lambert, P. Douglasii D. Don., P. canadensis B. Hooker, P. Douglasii 

 var. taxifolia Antoine, P. Douglasii var. brevibracteata Antoine, Abies 

 taxifolia Poiret, A. mucronata Rafinesque, A. mucronata var. palustris 

 Rafinesque, A. Douglasii Lindley, A. Douglasii var. taxifolia Loudon, 

 Picea Douglasii Link, Picea Douglasii Bertrand, Isuga Douglasii Carriere, 

 T. Douglasii fastigeata Carriere, T. Lindleyana Roezl. 



The oil, obtained by T. C. Frye, of Washington, from the fresh 

 needles and twigs of small trees and from the undergrowth to the 

 extent of 0,8 to 1 °/ , is yellowish-green and has an odour reminding 

 of limonene. It was investigated by J. W. Brandel in collaboration with 

 M. Sweet 1 ) and its constants were determined as follows: d 2 3o 0,8680, 

 a D — 62,5°, acid no. o, sapon. no. 86,6 corresponding to 30,3 °/ of 

 bornyl acetate, sapon. no. after acetylation 92,1, from which a content 

 of 32,2 °/ bornyl acetate, equivalent to 25,3 °/ of free borneol was 

 erroneously calculated. In reality the bornyl acetate content was 34,6 °/ 

 or 27,18 °/o °f f ree borneol. No aldehydes could be traced by means 

 of bisulphite. Fractionation of the oil showed it to consist chiefly of 

 terpenes. The lower fractions, which had a pinene-like odour, yielded no 

 nitroso-chloride. The fraction which boiled between 175 and 17 6° 

 had a limonene-like odour, but (no doubt owing to the small quantity 

 available), no tetrabromide could be obtained from it. The fractions 

 boiling between 161 and 169 formed the chief part of the oil and 

 contained camphene, m. p. 47 . The residue of distillation (b. p. above 

 190 ) was saponified, whereupon the principal part boiled between 

 180 and 205 . As shown by the oxidation into camphor, (m. p. 171 ; 

 oxime m. p. 113 ) it contained borneol. The higher boiling parts 

 were of a deep-green colour. 



Elemi Oil. Properly speaking, the name Elemi appertains only 

 to the balsam from Canarium luzonicum, which is produced exclusively 

 in the Philippines, and from which it is possible to obtain from 25 to 

 3O°/ of essential oil. But occasionally the name is also applied to 

 similar balsams of other derivation, the name of the country of origin 

 being added in that case. Thus, the Imperial Institute has recently 

 had an opportunity of investigating so called "African Elemi", and 

 the following particulars are published as to the result of the examination. 



*) Pharm. Review 26 (1908), 326. 



