- 8 5 - 



gives a clear solution; when more than 0,7 vol. of alcohol are added, 

 cloudiness ensues. The oil is very rich in phellandrene. Unfortunately 

 we have not heard whether the oil is prepared from the leaves or 

 from the fruit; the distillates from both these parts (as has been 

 pointed out in previous Reports) being almost identical. 



Snake root Oil, Canadian. Two Canadian snake root oils 

 distilled by ourselves from Asarum canadense L. possessed the follow- 

 ing constants: — 



No. 1. From roots with fibres: di 5 oO,95i9, «d — io°3o', ^20° 1,49987, 

 acid. no. 4,7, ester no. 74,7, ester no. after acetylation 125,0, soluble 

 in 2,5 vols, and more of 70 per cent, alcohol. 



No. 2. From roots without fibres: di 5 o 0,9520, « D — io°42', 

 n D20° I >48863, acid no. 3,1, ester no. 86,1, ester no. after acetyl. 125,8, 

 soluble in 2,3 vols, and more of 70 per cent, alcohol. 



Spearmint Oil. The excitement which prevailed in this article 

 last summer has completely subsided, and prices move within normal 

 limits. A large part of last year's crop had been contracted for in 

 advance, and has been used up in the manufacture of chewing-gum. 

 Enough was left, however, to cover the remaining requirements and 

 there are signs that during the current year also a sufficiency of oil 

 will be available at reasonable rates. But little spearmint is nowadays 

 cultivated in the State of New York, which is to be regretted, because 

 the oil yielded by the New York herb was superior in quality to the 

 oil from Michigan. 



We have recently had several opportunities of examining Hungarian 

 spearmint oils. We were informed that they had been distilled from 

 the dry herb. Their composition is similar to that of the German and 

 American distillates, but they differ from them in their higher carvone 

 content, which runs up to 72°/ as against only about 5O°/ in 

 German and American oils. Corresponding with their greater carvone 

 content the specific gravity of the Hungarian oils was also in every 

 case higher than that of the other varieties, and their greater solubility 

 also attracted attention. The Hungarian oils give a clear solution with 

 1 vol. and more of 80 per cent, alcohol, whereas German and American 

 oils, although likewise soluble in equal volumes of 80 per cent alcohol, 

 give an opalescent solution, and subsequently a turbid one when 

 more of the solvent is added. The following are the constants noted 

 in Hungarian oils: d 15 o 0,936 to 0,944, « D — 38°38 / to — 46°25', 

 n D20° i>49° t° l A9 l 7 carvone content 61 to 72°/ . All the samples 

 gave clear solutions with their own vol. and more of 80 per cent, alcohol; 

 one sample even dissolved clearly in 2,5 vols, and more of 70 per cent, 

 alcohol. 



