Commercial and scientific notes on essential oils. 47 



sodium hydroxide solution the oil exhibited the following constants: — di 5 o 0.9324, 

 « D — 2° 42', n D20 o 1.5048, ester v. 7.2, ester v. after acet. 40.98; insol. in 10 vols, of 

 80 per cent, alcohol. By repeated fractionation of the oil in presence of sodium, under 

 10 mm. pressure, the auther obtained the fractions: — 123 to 125° (di 5 o 0.910, a D — 6.2°, 

 n D20O 1.4967) and 129 to 132° (d i5 o 0.921, « D + 0.72°, « D20 o 1.5063). These two fractions, 

 which agreed in their constants fairly with aromadendrene and eudesmene 1 ), gave 

 likewise the colour reaction of these sesquiterpenes with bromine and with sulphuric 

 acid 2 ). In addition, the oil contained, besides a small amount of phenolic bodies, a 

 sesquiterpenic alcohol, which the author was unable to describe more closely. 



Oil of Leptospermum odoratum. — On distilling the leaves and twigs of Lep- 

 tospemium odoratum, Cheel, a plant likewise occuring in the valleys of New South Wales, 

 A. R. Penfold 3 ) obtained on the average 0.75 per cent, of a yellow oil with an odour 

 reminding of terpenes and roses. Its constants differed according to the time of 

 collecting (August, 1917, May and October, 1920) and ranged as follows:— di 5 o 0.9163 

 to 0.9280, « D — 16,32 to —33.02°, n D20O 1.4960 to 1.4990, ester v. 5.6 to 7.2, ester v. after 

 acet. 57.00 to 91.93, sol. in 10 vols, of 80 percent, alcohol, in one case insoluble in 

 80 per cent, alcohol. In addition to combined acetic acid, the oil contained above all 

 butyric acid in combined state. In the fraction b. p. 60 to 90° (10 mm.), «- and /?-pinene 

 were proved to be present by means of characteristic derivatives 4 ). The fraction 125 to 

 140° (10 mm.), one-half of the oil, contained nearly equal parts of eudesmene and 

 aromadendrene which were identified by means of their constants and their colour 

 reactions 5 ). This natural eudesmene differed from the synthetical dextrorotatory pre- 

 paration 6 ) by its optical rotation of — 53°. From the solid distillation-residue (10 to 

 15 per cent, of the oil), there was obtained, by crystallisation from dilute alcohol, 

 eudesmol, m. p. 79 to 80°, b. p. 156° (10 mm.), [«] D20 o +31.80°. Furthermore, the oil 

 appeared to contain about 2 per cent, of an alcohol not further dealt with, which gave 

 rise to the rose-like odour of the oil. 



Oil of Lindera sericea. — A. Spann 7 ) reports that according to official Japanese 

 statistics an essential oil is distilled from the lauracea Lindera sericea, Blume (Kuro- 

 moji 8 )). The producing districts, Hiogo ken, Shimane ken and Hiroshima ken, are in 

 the southern part of the main island Honshiu. In 1915, 9438 kin of oil were obtained, 

 representing a value of 9880 yen. 



Machilus Oil. — Seisi Takagi 9 ) obtained from the wood shavings of the Formosan 

 Lauracea Machilus Kusanoi, Hayata 10 ), on distillation, a pale yellow, viscous oil with 

 the constants: — dg° 0.9815, [«] D270 -f 18.20°, acid v. 0, sap. v. 0, sap. v. after acet. 50.2L 

 On fractionation under 5 mm. pressure, 120 g. of the oil gave 6 g. oil b. p. 125 to 140°, 

 42 g. b. p. 140 to 149°, 25 g. b. p. 149 to 159°, 9 g. b. p. 156 to 170° — these three 



x ) Cf. Reports April 1902, 31; October 1913, 59. — 2 ) In the literature, colour reactions are only given 

 for aromadendrene (cf. Baker and Smith, A Research on the Eucalypts, 2 nd ed. p. 417; Gildemeister and Hoffmann, 

 The Volatile Oils, 2 nd ed. vol. Ill, p. 275) but not for eudesmene. — 3 ) Journ. & Proceed. ofR. S. ofN. S. W. 51 

 (1921), 197. Ace. to Bull. Roure-Bertrand Fils, October 1921, 159. — 4 ) Details in this respect are missing in the 

 abstract. — 5 ) Cf. the footnote above, with Lept- grandifl. — 8 ) Cf. Report October 1913, 59. — 7 ) Der 

 Tropenpflanzer 21 (1921), 167. — 8 ) Details concerning the Kuromoji oils obtained from the leaves and other 

 parts of the plant are to be found in Gildemeister and Hoffmann, The Volatile Oils, 2 nd ed., vol. II, p. 502. 

 — 9 ) Joum. pharm. Soc. Japan 1921, N° 473 (2 nd communication). From a copy kindly forwarded to us. 

 Unfortunately, we hitherto did not come across either the first communication or'an abstract thereof. — 10 ) Is 

 not mentioned in the Index Kewmsis of 1910. 



