64 Report of Schimmel § Co. 1922. 



(nitrolbenzylamine, m. p. 108°), respectively. The original oil, therefore, contained abou 

 21 per cent, of cymene and 14 per cent, of dipentene. 



The oil of the French plant has been investigated already years ago by several 

 authors. A. Haller found in it 35 to 40 per cent, of carvacrol. According to our 

 determinations an oil from Barreme contained about 27 per cent, and one from Sault 

 about 32 per cent, of carvacrol 1 ). 



Oil of Skimmia laureola. — The oil of Skimmia laureola. Hook, fil., on whose 

 origin and properties we gave a short notice p. 46 on of our last Bericht (German ed.), 

 has recently been investigated by J. L. Simonsen 2 ). On distilling the shade-dried 

 leaves collected in the Chakrata Division during June and early July, the author obtained 

 about 0.5 percent of a pale emerald-green oil with the following constants: d|| 0.9041; 

 n D30O 1.4648; acid v., 3.63; sap. v. 197.36; sap. v. after acet. 238.6 (prior to acetylation 

 the oil was mixed with turpentine oil) 3 ). After washing the oil with dilute alkali, the 

 oil was repeatedly fractionated under 200 mm. pressure and the following fractions 

 were obtained:— 1. B. p. 130 to 140°, 0.46 percent; 2. 140 to 145°, 4.6 percent; 

 3. 145 to 150°, 0.61 percent; 4. 150 to 155°, 8.4 percent; 5. 155 to 160°, 2.3 percent; 

 6. 160 to 167°, 2.0 percent; 7. 167 to 173°, 50 percent; 8. 173 to 177°, 0.61 percent; 

 9. 177 to 182°, 1.05 per cent; 10. 182 to 190°, 1.2 per cent; 11. above 190°, 18,2 per cent 



The first three fractions contained a hydrocarbon boiling at 130 to 135° (200 mm.) 

 or 176 to 182° (695 mm.); dg§ 0.859; [«] D30 o — 4.11°; n D30O 1.471), the nature of which 

 remained undecided. Fraction 4 consisted of nearly pure Z-linalool (phenylurethane, 

 m. p. 65°). The fractions 5 to 9 contained partly Minalool, partly Minalyl acetate, 

 partly a mixture of both. In addition, fractions 8 to 10 contained a high-boiling alcohol. 

 From fraction 11, repeated distillation yielded unpleasently-smelling oils, possibly 

 mixtures of sesquiterpene alcohols and esters. 



Hence, the oil investigated consisted in the main of 7:linalyl acetate, furthermore 

 of Z-linalool, a hydrocarbon and a mixture of sesquiterpene alcohols and esters. 



Spearmint Oil. A sample of the entire dried plant of Mentha longifolia (Host, 

 or Huds.?) collected in the Somerset East district of the Cape Province and consisting 

 of leaves 40 p. c, and loose stalks 60 p. c, was examined at the Imperial Institute 4 ) 

 The stalks were found to be practically free from volatile oil, the leaves yielded on 

 steam distillation 2.4 per cent, oil, equivalent to a yield of 0.98 per cent, from the 

 entire original sample. The colourless oil had the characteristic odour and taste of 

 spearmint oil and the following constants:— dg§ 0.947; « D — 47.6°; n D 1.4925; ketones 

 (estimated by sulphite method), calculated as carone, 70 per cent. The oil from this 

 sample of spearmint resembled the oils from Mentha spicata, Huds. and of Mentha 

 viridis, L, but contained a very high percentage of ketones and corresponded in this 

 respect with the Austrian spearmint oil. 



Spike Oil. — As to Spanish spike oil, see page 106 of this Report. 



1 ) Comp. Gildemeister and Hoffmann, The Volatile Oils, 2 nd edition, vol. Ill, p. 470. — 2 ) Journ. Soc. ehem. 

 Ind. 40 (1921), T. 126. — 3 ) The above constants differ considerably from those found by Roure-Bertrand Fils 

 (comp. Bericht 1921, p. 46). With a leaf oil forwarded to us we ascertained the following characters:— di 5 o 0.8876, 

 « D + 2°22', n D 2oo 1.47260, acid v., 0, sap. v., 128.8 = 45.1 percent, of esters, calculated as linalyl acetate; soluble 

 in 0.2 vol. 90 per cent, alcohol, with more than 1.3 vol. strong opalescence. The colourless oil showed a bluish 

 fluorescence and recalled the odour of petitgrain oil. It was said to originate from Skimmia laureola, Sieb. et 

 Zucc. (Limonia laureola, D.C.), Roure-Bertrand Fils state Skimmia laureola, Hook, fil., which name we fail to 

 find in the Kew Index. — *) Bull. Imp. Inst. 18 (1921), 350. 



