Commercial and scientific notes on essential oils. 27 



and contained no oil at all. Even upon cohobation of the aqueous distillates no oil 

 was obtained. The distillate, however, then had a very pleasant odour. 



The hitherto undecided question, whether bleached coriander is found on the 

 market, could therefore, it seems, be solved with the aid of distillation. As far as 

 our own experience with drugs goes, we have only found bleached hops and orris 

 root, which of course were unfit for distillation. 



Oil of Costus Roots. — In 1916/17 the Kashmir State Forest Department realized 

 Rs. 3V± lakhs revenue from the export of costus roots, 4.524 maunds of 82 lbs. being 

 marketed 1 ). 



Cubeb Oil. — A sample of this oil was examined by C. T. Bennett 2 ) and was 

 found to lack the characteristic taste and odour usually associated with this oil. 

 The physical characters answered the requirements of the British Pharmacopoeia 

 (d 0.922; « — 38°; n D25 o 1.4965; 75 per cent, distilled between 250 and 280°). On adding 

 a few drops of nitric acid to a solution in glacial acetic acid, the oil gave a distinct 

 violet coloration, as is the case with oils containing gurjun balsam oil. On fractionation, 

 the lower-boiling fractions showed a higher optical rotation than usually observed, 

 the higher-boiling portions, however, which gave the gurjun balsam reaction, had 

 a lower and more normal rotation. Further investigation revealed that the oil had 

 been distilled apparently from genuine, but small and immature fruits of Piper Cubeba, 

 whilst the Ph. Brit, requires that only fully-grown fruits should be employed. 



Curcuma Oil. — From this oil, d^ 0.9692, d 20 o + 0° 21' (in a 25 mm. tube), S. V. Hin- 

 tikka 3 ) obtained, on boiling with sodium ethylate, and after repeated distillation a pale 

 yellow oil turning rapidly dark (b. p. 110 to 115° [8 mm.]) which on treatment with 

 hydrochloric acid and washing with water boiled at 115 to 116° (10mm.); d^0.9481; 

 n D 1.50543. From this product, two semicarbazones were obtained, m. p. 129° and 

 153 to 154°, which furnished the following ketones:— a) b. p. 116 to 118° (10 mm.), 

 d^ 0.9493, « 20 o+8°30' (25 mm. tube), n D 1.50177; oxime, b. p. 160 to 161° (15 mm.); 

 b) b. p. 122 to 124° (15 mm.), d^0,9479, d 20 o + 6°40' (25 mm. tube), n D 1.49951. Since 

 the letter ketone yielded, on treatment with semicarbazide, semicarbazones, m. p. 153 to 

 154° and principally with m. p. 125°, the two ketones were considered to be identical. 

 The difference in the constants of the ketone are explained by its great tendency to oxidize. 

 The combustion of both semicarbazones pointed to the formula Ci Hi 8 O of the ketone. 



On oxidizing the crude ketone (not treated with hydrochloric acid) with potassium 

 permanganate the author obtained a ketone (semicarbazone, m. p. 203 to 204°) which 

 appeared to be identical with Rupe's 4 ) ^-tolylmethylketone, in addition to a substance 

 which, on heating beyond 300°, was decomposed without previous melting (terephthalic 

 acid?). When treated with a hypobromite, the ketone yielded a small quantity of a 

 body melting at 33 to 34° (curcumic acid?). 



Erigeron Oil. — The abundant occurrence of Erigeron canadensis, L, in the 

 neighbourhood of Miltitz induced us to distil this well-known weed. 



The whole plant, when just beginning to flower, yielded 0.264 per cent, of oil of 

 the following constants: di 5o 0.8720, « D + 53°56', n D20 o 1.49922, acid v. 0.3, ester v. 

 about 63.5 (the change of colour when titrating was rather indistinct), ester v. after 

 acetylation 70.3, soluble in 5.5 vols, and more of alcohol of 90 per cent. 



x ) Perfum. Record 12 (1921), 51. — 2 ) Perfum. Record 12 (1921), 90. — *) Zur Kenntnis des Curcumabls I. 

 Helsingfors 1921. — 4 ) Comp. Report April 1911, 57. 



