Commercial and scientific notes on essential oils. 



65 



Staranise Oil. — The following statistics of maximum and minimum prices of 



'1 _ it C TT .1 • «_ • j ■ 11\ 



staranise oil are taken from an English periodical 1 ): 



Maximum Minimum 



1911 

 1912 

 1913 

 1914 

 1915 



6/0 

 6/11 



7/3 

 6/3 

 4/9 



4/9 

 5/6 



6/3 

 5/0 

 3/0 



1916 

 1917 

 1918 

 1919 

 1920 



Maximum 



Minimum 



. 3/6 



3/2 



. 4/6 



3/3 



. 6/2 



4/0 



. 6/0 



4/2 



. 6/0 



3/6 



As it is shown, the maximum pre-war prices have not been reached again, in spite 

 of the universal depreciation of the money. Although in November 1921 the price went 

 down as far as 2/2 per lb. 2 ), it was believed that this was not the lowest yet, for there 

 were considerable stocks and little demand. In 1921, 4000 cases of 66 2 / 3 lbs. each 

 arrived in London, where abundant stocks existed already. The oil was imported 

 partly in exchange for textiles. 



It is further stated that formerly there was a good market for staranise oil, chiefly 

 for liqueurs and confectionery. Nowadays the Russian demand is missing and France, 

 Germany and the United States require but little. In the latter country, the decrease 

 in the demand for staranise oil is ascribed to the prohibition of alcoholic drinks. The 

 best consumers of the articles are now most likely Spain. and South America, but it 

 is expected that the French and English demand will increase again. 



Oil of Tagetes anisata. — The fresh herb of Tagetes anisata, Lillo, n. sp., a com- 

 posita growing in the pampas of Argentina at an elevation of from 1000 to 3000 m., 

 yielded on steam distillation, according to F. Zelada 3 ) 0.7 to 0.8 per cent, of a green oil. 

 The product resembled anise oil and had the following properties: b. p. 214 to 218°, 

 solidification p. — 6°, di 5 o 0.9862, «— 1°10', n 1.5432, ester v. after acetylation 23.4, sap. v. 3.1, 

 iodine v. 158.5, alcohoKas C 16 H 18 0.852 per cent, ester as Ci 6 Hi 7 OCOCH s 1.082 per cent, 

 total alcohol as Ci 6 Hi 8 3.229 percent, soluble in 5 vols, of 90 per cent alcohol 4 ). 



Tarragon Root Oil. — See Estragon root oil, p. 34 of this Report. 



Thyme Oil. — The Spanish oils of thyme are of different composition and may be 

 grouped in oils containing thymol, carvacrol, or citral. The same division could be 

 used for the manifold species of Thymus occurring in Spain. According to the few 

 existing authentical indications concerning the botanical origin of the Spanish thyme 

 oils, there seems to be a certain conformity in the characteristics of the plants belonging 

 to one and the same of the groups mentioned. According to Rubeck and E. H. Holmes 5 ), 

 Thymus vulgaris, L., and Thymus Zygis, L, which are much alike and are both known 

 in Spain by the name of tomillo salsero, being used as pot-herbs, certainly belong to 

 the first group. Thymus hyemalis, Lange, according to Holmes the mother-plant of 

 the so-called Spanish verbena oil, is closely allied to Thymus hirtus, Willd. (tomillo 

 limoneroj: both kinds contain citral 6 ). The similarity appears to be less striking (the 

 relative indications in books, etc. are very scanty) between Thymus Mastichina. L., 

 (tomillo bianco) and Thymus cephalotus, L., the oils of which according to Dorronsoro 7 ) 



*) Qhemiat and Druggist 95 (1921), 631. — 2 ) Com. Bericht (German) 1921, 46. — 3 ) Parfum. moderne 

 14 (1921), 32. — *) There seem to be grave discrepancies between the acetylation and ester values and the 

 amount of alcohol, etc. calculated. Besides, Ci 6 H 18 seems to stand for C 10 H 18 O. — B ) Perfiim. Record 11 

 (1920), 3W. — 6 ) Cf. Bericht (German) 1921, 87. — 7 ) Comp. Report April 1911, 111. 



