— 26 — 



rotatory; it also contains considerably more alcoholic constituents than 

 did the old oil. All these variations may perhaps be explained by 

 the fact that the oil distilled last year was prepared from the flower- 

 ing herb, whereas on the present occasion the flowers were very little 

 developed. The constants of the new sample are as follow: — diso 0,8994, 

 a D + i4°5'> n D20° 1,46684, acid no. 4,6, ester no. 35,0, ester no. 

 after acetylation 163,3; dissolves in 1,8 vol. and more of 70 per cent, 

 alcohol, with separation of paraffin. 



Basil Oil. Although several new sources of production of this 

 article have been opened up of late, the supplies are still restricted 

 to trifling quantities, and the price therefore almost remains at its 

 previous level. One of our suppliers in Algeria has unfortunately 

 been unable to fulfil his contract in its entirety because, as a result 

 of the unfavourable weather, his output has fallen considerably below 

 his expectations. From Reunion also only very moderate quantities 

 have come into trade. 



A few years ago an essential oil from Ocimum Basilicum L. (Labiatae), 

 of the variety known as "selasih hidjau" was distilled at Buitenzorg x ), 

 Recently van Romburgh has prepared a considerable quantity of this 

 oil, which he has submitted to a fresh examination, in completion 

 of his previous publication on the subject 2 ). The oil was found to 

 possess the following constants: d^o 0,962, opt. rot. in a 2 decim. 

 tube -\- i° 20'. Out of 1500 cc. of oil, 210 cc. were separated by 

 steam - distillation, and this, when distilled in vacuo (?mm) yielded the 

 following fractions: — 



75 cc, b. p. up to 88°, [a (-[-?) 9 17' in a 2 decim. tube] 

 105 cc, b. p. 88 to 93 , [a (-f~?) i° 16' in a 2 decim. tube] 

 Residue: 26 ccm. 



The first fraction was distilled again, when 28 cc. boiled below 7 o° 

 (d 0,856) and 63. cc at between 70 to 85 . (A printer's error must 

 have occurred here, for 28 — j— 63 = 91, whereas only 75 cc were distilled). 

 From the portion with the lowest boiling point, cineol was isolated by 

 means of resorcinol-solution, after which it was more particularly identified 

 by the iodol-test. The fraction 70 to 85 was fractionated in vacuo 

 (? mm) after removal of the cineol, when finally a small quantity boiling 

 from 60 to 70 was obtained, the density (d i5 o 0,8208) and odour 

 of which seemed to point to the presence of an olefinic terpene. 



The methylchavicol obtained from the Javanese basil oil rotated, 

 in a 2 decim tube, (+?) i°3o'. Various attempts to remove its active 





*) Report April 1901, 12. 



2 ) Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen te Amsterdam, 1909, 15. From a 

 copy kindly sent to us. 



