— 28 — 



is that the oils obtained are sometimes too light, and at other times 

 too heavy, because, owing to unworkmanlike distilling, they lack some 

 portion of either the light or the heavy oil. It may therefore be 

 surmised that in the case under review a similar mistake was made 

 during the distillation. 



The low specific gravity of the second sample corresponds to the 

 slight phenol -content, while the unusually high sp. gr. of the first- 

 named oil, in conjunction with its low eugenol - content, was most 

 probably the result of oxidation (polymerisation) processes. 



In continuation of what we stated in our last Report 1 ) on Lemon- 

 scented Bay Oil, we may now state that some time ago we received 

 from the West Indies a consignment of leaves called Citronella Leaves. 

 These were subjected to careful botanical examination, when it was 

 found that in addition to the genuine bay leaves from Myrcia acris 

 D. C. (Syn. Pimento, acris Wight) 2 ), Pimenta acris Kostel., Eugenia acris 

 acris Wight and Arnott, it contained those of two closely allied species. 

 In addition to the variety yielding lemon-scented bay oil Pimenta 

 acris var. citrifolia (Myrcia pimentoides D. C, Pimenta citrifolia Kostel.) 

 it also contained leaves of Myrcia coriacea D. C. As the material was 

 not uniform we have for the present abstained from distilling the oil. 



Birch bud Oil. An oil distilled by us this season from birch 

 buds possessed more or less the same constants as the sample previ- 

 ously described 3 ), which was also of our own distilling. The odour 

 was pleasantly balsamic, the colour lemon-yellow, and the sample con- 

 tained a large proportion of paraffin, crystals separating out plentifully 

 at -{- 8°, while at -f~ 5° it was completely congealed. Its other pro- 

 perties are as follows: di 5 o 0,9730, «r> — 5°34'> n D20° i>5 oi 53> acid 

 no. 2,8; ester no. 51,4 = 24,1 °/ acetate of a sesquiterpene alcohol 

 of the formula C 15 H 24 0. Ester no. after acetylation 150,0, corres- 

 ponding to 66,4 °/ total alcohol C 15 H 24 0. 0,25 vol. of 90 per cent, 

 alcohol was sufficient to dissolve the oil, but when more alcohol was 

 added a plentiful separation of paraffin set in quickly. 



Cajeput Oil. Business in cajeput oil has continued to be very 

 slow, and the numerous offers of oil in store in Europe confirm our 

 surmise that the article is no longer in as much demand as formerly. 

 It is a matter for congratulation that the exporters are taking account 

 of this fact by restricting their shipments, for according to the statistics 





*) Report April 1909, 21. 



2 ) The opinion of Holmes, which is also reproduced in Gildemeister's and 

 Hoffmann's book The Volatile Oils, p. 510, that Pimenta acris Wight and Myrcia 

 acris D. C. are not identical, is not agreed with by all botanists. 



3 ) Report October 1905, 13. 



