Commercial and scientific notes on essential oils. 



Commercial Notes and Scientific Information 

 on Essential Oils. 



Oil of Abies Pindrow. — Cones and young shoots of the Indian silver fir, Abies 

 Pindrow (Royle) Spach 1 ), yielded on steam distillation an oil, of which we received 

 a sample some time ago. It was colourless, of agreeable balmy odour and showed 

 the following constants:— d i5 o 0.8647, « D — 10° 59', n D20O 1.47328, acid v. 0.3, ester v. 

 6.5 = 2.3 per cent, ester (bornyl acetate), soluble with slight turbidity in 3 volumes and 

 more of 90 per cent, alcohol; soluble in 1 vol. and more of 95 per cent, alcohol. 



The tree occurs in the lower Himalaya regions, at a height of between 2400 and 

 3000 metres. 



Oil of Aburachan. — By distillation of the leaves and twigs of Lindera prcecox. Bl., 

 a lauracea growing in japan, Y. Shinosaki 2 ) obtained about 0.3 per cent, of a light 

 brown coloured oil which had a somewhat strongly camphoraceous odeur and the 

 following characters: — diso 0.9094 to 0.9178; « — 3°57' to — 5°1'; n D20O 1.4850 to 1.4866; 

 acid value, 0.69 to 0.92; sap. value, 45.76 to 48.69; sap. val. after acetylation, 90.48 to 

 98.62. The following substances were isolated 3 ): — 2 per cent, of «-pinene, 14 per cent, 

 of camphene, 8 per cent, of cineole, 10 per cent, of an aliphatic terpene (b. p. 40 to 41° 

 at 2 mm., di 5o 0.8251 , n D20 o 1 .4840), borneol present in the oil partly free and partly as 

 >ter, geraniol (23 per cent, with borneol), 8 per cent, of caryophyllene, 21 per cent, of 

 -cadinene, 5 per cent, of a sesquiterpene alcohol Ci 5 H 26 0, and a tertiary alcohol (b. p. 

 140 to 142° at 4 mm.; d 15 o 0.9740; « — 5°, n D20 o 1.5072). From the alkaline liquor after 

 saponification of the original oil there were isolated : — acetic acid, a decylenic acid 

 C 10 H 1& O 2 (b. p. 106 to 107° at 1.5 mm., d 15 o 0.9339, n D20O 1.4552, acid value 328 to 334.9, 

 iodine value 142.24, probably identical with citronellic acid) and a saturated weak acid 

 of higher series and having a high boiling point. 



Ajowan Oil. — Y. Murayama found in this oil a new terpene, moslene (cf. p. 51 

 of this Beport). 



Almond Oil, bitter. — A bitter almond oil "genuine, free from chlorine", sent us 

 for inspection, proved an "excellent" acquisition for the buyer, as it was a crude, 

 strongly chlorinated benzaldehyde of a reddish-brown colour .(due to iron), containing 

 about 30 per cent, of nitrobenzene. 



The defects of the product were revealed at once by its constants, as it was far 

 too heavy (d i5 o 1.1237), had too high a refraction (n D20O 1.54876) and did not dissolve 

 in 50 per cent, alcohol; besides, it gave a strong chlorine reaction. It resulted on closer 

 investigation that these irregularities were due to nitrobenzene, present in the proportion 



*) According to Brandis, this is only a variety of Abies WelUana, Lindley. Comp. A. Engler and K. Prantl, 

 hie natiirlichen Pfanzenfamilien vol.11, 1, page 60. — *) Journ. chem. Ind. Japan 24 (1921), 444. According to 

 Jeurn. Soc. chem. Ind. 40 (1921), A. 674. — 3 ) Details are missing in the abstract. 



