— 53 — 



this cuminic alcohol there occurs in the oil a small quantity of a body 

 melting at 90 to 107 (3 mm.). This part of the oil can only be 

 examined in detail when larger quantities are available. We shall 

 continue the examination as soon as an opportunity presents itself. 



Curcuma Oil. Since our last Report on curcuma oil, in which 

 we discussed the results of an examination of the oil which was 

 carried out by H. Rupe 1 ), this investigator, in conjunction with 

 E. Luksch and A. Steinbach 2 ), has published a detailed communication 

 on the subject, from which we quote the following in completion of 

 our previous notes: — 



The ketone C 13 H 18 which is formed when curcuma oil is boiled 

 with alkali liquor (the authors call this ketone curcumone) is a 

 colourless, not readily liquefying oil, of a pungent odour reminding of 

 ginger. It possesses the following constants: - — b. p. 119 to 122° 

 (8 to 11 mm.), d 20 o 0,9566, [«b 20° +80,55°, n r> : 1,50526,, mol. refr. 

 found 58,98, calculated 58,93. With the exception of certain slight 

 differences in the melting points, the derivatives have the same pro- 

 perties as those observed on the previous occasion : phenylhydrazone 

 m. p. 92°; benzylidene curcumone, m. p. 106; piperonal- curcumone, 

 m. p. 113°. The condensation-product with anisic aldehyde, prepared 

 on the present occasion, is a new derivative. It consisted of lustrous 

 white flaky crystals, melting at 77 to 78°. 



When curcuma oil is treated with acids it is also converted into 

 curcumone, but this method is not a suitable one, because the yield 

 is very small. Up to the present, in spite of many efforts, the authors 

 have not succeeded in identifying the alcoholic constituent of the oil. 



Cypress Oil. We are just ready with distilling a fairly con- 

 siderable parcel of cypress leaves, so that we are again in a position 

 to supply fresh oil for the coming winter season, when, as usual, more 

 or less severe epidemics of whooping cough may be expected. The 

 excellent medicinal effect of cypress oil is so generally known that it 

 is hardly necessary to refer to it here, but we wish to sound a special 

 warning against the many cheap qualities which are on the market, 

 as they are frequently manufactured of doubtful material and their 

 medicinal action may therefore not be satisfactory. Numerous samples 

 of cypress oil of French origin in particular, when examined in our 

 laboratory, have been found to be of inferior quality. 



Dr. H.Winterseel 3 ) has published a communication on the pharmaco- 

 dynamics of this oil which deals with its action upon various warm 



*) Berl. Berichte 40 (1907), 4909; Report April 1908, 36. 



2 ) Berl. Berichte 42 (1909), 2515. 



3 ) Das Cypressenol. Inaug. Dissert., med. Fac, Bonn, 1908. 



