Commercial and scientific notes on essential oils. 39 



that the yield of oil of rose could considerably be increased by protecting the suitable 

 stills from the hot winds. The best results — a yield of 0.025 per cent, of oil of rose 1 ) — 

 were realised, when in a distillation carried on for a period of 3 hours the ratio of 

 flowers to water was 1 : 4. The product contained 25 percent, of steorophena (stearoptene 

 is probably meant). According to the authors these results would justify the hope that 

 Indian oil of rose might compete against the Bulgarian product. It might also be 

 possible to breed a species richer in oil by careful cultivation; according to Parry 

 roses of Persia and Cashmere had given from 0.05 to 0.066 per cent, of oil of rose. 

 The authors has evidently overlooked that Parry 2 ) queried this statement as uncertain. 

 The few communications extant on Persian oil of rose do not give any yield figures. 

 It is, on the other hand, certain that the rose of Shiras was distinguished by a very 

 common -scent and possessed also otherwise properties quite different from those of 

 Bulgarian oil of rose 3 ). 



In Morocco roses suitable for the preparation of oil occur only near Marrakesh 

 and near Fez. There are about 10 undertakers in this line in Marrakesh, and they 

 consume per month 10000 kg. of dry leaf flowers which yield 5500 kg. of rose 

 water. A good many of the middle-class inhabitants of the country also distil their 

 own rose water 4 ). 



An oil of rose which was offered to us for purchase was as badly as clumsily 

 adulterated, as the following constants show: — d 30 o 0.8610; « D — 0°8'; n D25 o 1.44471; 

 solidification point 18.8°; acid v. 1.4; ester v. 172.2; ester v. after acetyl. 193.1. 



Apart from the too-small refraction (normal 1.452 to 1.464) and the too-low 'acetyl- 

 ation value (normal 203 to 228); the ester value must above everything be considered 

 far too high; for the ester value of pure oil of rose ranges only from 7 to 16. This 

 discrepancy would alone suffice to mark the sample as adulterated; cocos oil seemed 

 to have been used. As the saponification value of this oil is 260, the analysis would 

 indicate an addition of 60 per cent, of this oil! Another adulteration should also be 

 taken into consideration; for the presence of the cocos fat would not account for the 

 low acetylation value of the oil. We did not enter upon the detailed examination 

 of this oil owing to its high price; the recognition of the gross adulteration was quite 

 sufficient to make us reject the oil. 



We will assume in favour of the seller that he had no idea of the peculiar 

 character of this oil; otherwise we should have to consider it very naive that he 

 should offer us such a product. 



Rosemary Oil. — As regards Spanish rosemary oil, see page 80 of this Report. 



Rue Oil. — As regards Spanish rue oil, see page 77 of this Report. 



Sage Oil. — As regards Spanish sage oils, cf. page 79 of this Report. 



Sandalwood Oil, West Australian. — In our last Report 6 ) we reproduced some 

 communications on the mother plant and the occurrence of sandalwood oil from 

 West Australia. As there are no statements available concerning the chemical con- 



'-) We obtained about 0.016 to 0.02 per cent, of oil from Rosa damascena. Gildemeister and Hoffmann, 



2 nd ed., vol.11, p. 560. — 2 ) The chemistry of essential oils and artificial perfumes, 1S99, p. 290. 



— '■) Cf . Report October 1897, 49 ; April 1914, 87. — 4 ) Rev. des produits chim. 22 (1919), 647. — 5 ) Report 1920, 54. 



