52 Report of Schimmel § Co. 1,922. 



the influence of air, light and moisture. In consequence, mustardseed oil ought to be 

 kept always in small, absolutely dry vessels and guarded against air and light. 



According to A. Cauda 1 ), the percentage of mustardseed oil is smaller in southern 

 districts (Sicily), than in the more northern regions (Piemonte, Forli), the content of 

 oil being the smaller, the greater the content of fatty oil. During germination, the 

 content of mustardseed oil, which diminishes on etiolation, remains fairly constant. 

 Black mustardseed contained 0.284 per cent., the green germs 0.280 per cent, the 

 etiolated germs 0.170 per cent, of essential oil, calculated with reference to air-dried 

 substance. The test was carried out by oxidizing mustardseed oil with bromine water 

 and depositing the sulphuric acid formed as baryum sulphate. 



V. Massera 2 ) states that the Italian Pharmacopoeia, 3 rd edition, contains erroneous 

 indications for the determination of mustardseed oil. Instead of 9.5 to 10 cc. of 

 ammonium sulpho-cyanide solution, 15 to 15.5 cc. are required 3 ). 



Neroli Oil. — See Orange Blossom Oil, p. 53 of this Report. 



Oil of Ocimum gratissimum. — An oil of this plant originating from Mane 

 (Seychelles) and differing entirely in character from the oil produced in the Ivory 

 Coast and Central Africa, has been mentioned by us in our Report 1919, p. 36, where 

 we quoted the constants. In the meantime, the plant has been identified at Kew as 

 Ocimum gratissimum, L, and a sample of the oil (d^| 0.996; « D — 12.7°; n D20 o 1.532; 

 phenols, 55 per cent.) was investigated by O. D. Roberts 4 ). 



After removing the free acids (0.2 per cent., probably acetic acid) and the free 

 phenols (entirely eugenol, b. p. 252 to 253°; benzoyleugenol, 'm. p. 69 to 70°), an oil 

 remained resembling in odour the oil of sweet basil, with the constants: — d^§ 0.9013; 

 « D — 15.0°, n D20 o 1.513, ester v., 4.5; ester v. after acet. 101.5. On distillation under 

 20 mm. pressure the oil yielded the fractions:— 1. B. p. 70 to 85° (16 per cent, of the 

 original .oil); 2. b. p. 85 to 100° (15 per cent); 3. b. p. 100—135° (9 per cent). Fraction 1 

 consisted chiefly of ocimene (b. p. 70 to 75° [20 mm.]; dgg 0.8029; inactive, n D20O 1.4855; 

 dihydromyrcene, djg 0.7777; n D17 o 1.4500; mol. refr.47.7; tetrabromide, m. p. 88°). Frac- 

 tion 2 recalled the odour of linalool; on oxidation with chromic acid mixture a citral- 

 like odour was produced. Fraction 3 had a distinct odour of methylchavicol, but 

 judging from the specific gravity, no large proportion of this compound was present. 



The composition of the sample, therefore, is approximately as follows: — Terpenes 

 (ocimene), 16 per cent; phenols (eugenol), 55 per cent; phenol ethers, calculated as 

 methylchavicol, 5.6 percent; alcohols, probably linalool, 13 per cent; esters, 0.6 percent; 

 residue and loss, 9.8 per cent The oil appears to be rather similar in composition to an 

 oil of sweet basil of the variety Selasih Mekah from Java, as examined by van Romburgh 5 ). 



Oil of Ocimum viride. — A sample of the oil from Ocimum viride, Willd. was 

 forwarded to the Imperial Institute from Seychelles in 1919 and revealed on examination 6 ) 

 the following properties: — djg 0.910; a D 4-0.75°; n D20O 1.497; phenols, consisting almost 

 entirely of thymol, 37 per cent, whereas previous samples of the oil of identical origin, 



!) Staz. Sperim: Agrar. Ital. 52 (1919), 544. According to Chem. Zentralbl. 1921, I. 814. — «) Boll. Chim. 

 Farm.m (1921), 62. As per the Chem. Zentralbl. 1921, IV. 391. — 8 ) Years ago, when discussing the Italian 

 Pharmacopoeia, we have already pointed out this mistake. Comp. Report April 1910, 131. — *) Journ. Soc. 

 cfcem. Ind!. 40 (1921), T. 164. — 5 ) Comp. also Gildemeister and Hoffmann, The Volatile Oils, 2 nd ed., vol. Ill, 

 p. 578. — e ) Bull. Imp. Inst. 18 (1921), 348. 



