10 Report of Schimmel $ Co. 1922. 



oils. A pre-war sample of birch tar oil, taken from our research laboratories' collection, 

 showed an extraordinarily high content of unsaponifiable constituents, which was not 

 due to any admixture of mineral oils. A test for resinous matter gave a negative 

 result. Another birch tar oil, surely originating from the neighbourhood of Minsk, 

 had the characteristic Russian leather smell and contained 55 per cent, of resin, as 

 well as 32 per cent, of unsaponifiable matter of pitchlike character. 



The author states that Zeiss' butter refractometer answered very well for the 

 determination of refraction, whereas Storch's reaction (anhydrous acetic acid and 

 sulphuric acid) was a useful test for resinous bodies. As tars from conifers consist 

 almost exclusively of resin, but tars from deciduous trees contain very little resin, 

 the indices of refraction of the various tars and of their distillation products afford a 

 means of distinguishing them, especially if the saponification value, the acid value 

 and the amount of unsaponifiable products are likewise taken into consideration. 



Oil of Boldo Leaves. — Roure-Bertrand Fils 1 ) obtained from the leaves of the 

 boldo tree, Peumus Boldus, Mol., Monimiacece, by distillation with steam, a golden-yellow 

 oil-), the odour of which resembled that of cineole and chenopodium oil. It showed 

 the following constants : — d 170 0.9318, d 16 o 0.9334, « n o — 0°14', acid v. 1.87, ester v. 13.0, 

 cineol content 30 per cent. Besides, the sample investigated contained 10 per cent, of 

 constituents soluble in 3 per cent, soda lye. After having been freed from the alkali 

 and dissolved in alcohol, they gave a greenish yellow colour reaction with ferric 

 chloride. The acetylated oil showed « D i50 + l°, ester v. 70.93. 



On shaking the distillation water of 40 kilograms of leaves with light petroleum, 

 20 grams of an oil were obtained which was much darker and smelled quite different 

 from the product obtained direct. It had the following properties: — di 5 o 0.9323, « + 0°, 

 acid v. 3.73, ester v. 22.40, ester v. after acetylation 142.18. The authors think that 

 the high acetylation value is due to decomposition products of the ascaridole. The 

 acetylated oil smelled distinctly of terpinyl acetate. With the aid of 5 per cent, soda 

 solution, 15 per cent, phenols were separated from the oil, they smelled of carvacrol 

 and coloured green with ferric chloride. 



Oil of Boronia pinnata. — The oil obtained by steam distillation from Boronia 

 pinnata, Sm., aRutacea occurring in Australia, showed according to Smith 3 ) the following 

 properties: — amber-yellow colour, aromatic odour like geranyl acetate and geraniol, 

 di5 1.0197, «-j-3.8°, n D20O 1.5125, saponification v. 20.2, id. after acetylation 36,9, content 

 of geranyl acetate 6.4 per cent. The oil contained also free geraniol, geranyl butyrate, 

 trimethyl gallic acid and 70 per cent, elemicin Ci 2 Hi 6 3 *). 



Oil of Buchu Leaves. — As per the annual statement of trade and shipping of the 

 Union of South Africa 5 ), the exports of buchu leaves were as follows: — 



1919 .... 149166 lbs. to the value of 37130 £ 



1920 .... 139149 „ „ „ „ „ 67243 „. 



The average annual export for the five years 1910 to 1914 was 204271 lbs., valued 

 at 30394 £ } while the average for the five years 1915 to 1919 was 130161 lbs., valued 





*) Bull. Boure-Bertrand Fils, April 1921, 14. — 2 ) Nothing is said about the yield. — 3 ) Proceed. Royal 

 Sue. Victoria N. S. 1 (1919), 32. According to Bull. Boure-Bertrand Fils, April 1921, 113. — *) There are no 

 other details. — B ) Chemist and Druggist 94 (1921), 745. 



