— 3i — 



As the German Consul in Colombo 1 ) reports, the enthusiasm for 



camphor cultivation in Ceylon has considerably decreased in view of 



the lowness of the camphor prices. During 1907/8 only 200 acres of 



new plantations have been laid down. The exports were as follows: — 



cwts. qrs. . lbs. Value, Rupees 



1907 8 3 17 . 4535 



1908 14 3 20 3075 



Kelway Bamber suggests that in order to expedite the process 

 of distillation, the leaves and branches should be crushed between 

 strong rollers. 



A good many years ago 2 ) the presence of cadinene in camphor 

 oil fractions of high b. p. was discovered in our laboratories. Observa- 

 tions of the low sp. gr. of some camphor oil fractions of high boiling 

 points have now induced us to investigate the subject afresh. For 

 this purpose we employed a pale yellow, heavy camphor oil fraction 

 possessing the following constants: b. p. 106 to 120 (7 mm.) d^o 0,9378, 

 «d -|- ii°, n D20° 1,50188. Any phenols present were removed by 

 shaking with 5 °/ caustic soda liquor, and the remainder was frac- 

 tionated. The b. p. now lay between 97 and 11 6° (5,5 to 6 mm.). 

 As the b. p. rose the sp. gr. decreased from di 5 o 0,942 to d^o 0,905, 

 while on the other hand the rotation increased from a D-f~4°5 2 ' to 

 «d -}- 1 6° 53'. No hydrate, nitrosite or nitrosate was obtained, but 

 from the intermediate fractions we succeeded in isolating small quan- 

 tities of a nitrosochloride, although the yield of this was too small 

 to admit of further examination. By passing hydrochloric acid into 

 the strongly cooled ethereal solution, we obtained an insignificant 

 quantity of a readily crystallising chloride. In order to recover this 

 chloride, the ether was evaporated, and the residue, after being stirred 

 with alcohol, was placed in a freezing mixture for a few days. In 

 the course of this process crystals separated out which, when recrys- 

 tallised from alcohol, melted at 79 to 8o°. This hydrochloride pro- 

 ved to be identical with the tri-hydrochloride of bisabolene, which 

 (as we show on p. 64) is also a constituent of oil of lemon. When 

 equal parts of the two tri- hydrochlorides were mixed, the m. p. was 

 not reduced. The hydrocarbon was regenerated with sodium acetate 

 and glacial acetic acid. B. p. 261 to 262 (752 mm.); di 5 o 0,8798; 

 a nio; n D20° 1,48246. The tri-hydrochloride which was again obtained 

 from this body melted at 79 to 8o°. 



Cadinene could not be detected in this fraction, and must there- 

 fore presumably be looked for in those with still higher boiling points. 



*) Ibid. 1909, No. 45, page 3. 

 *) Bericht April 1889, 9. 



