82 : REPORT OF SCHIMMEL 8 Co. APRIL 1914. 
The chemical behaviour of the alcohol also was the same as that of peruviol. In 
agreement with the observation of Thoms, we found that nerolidol can only be very — 
incompletely esterified. We have applied to it several methods of esterification, but — 
all with a negative result. Our preparation, like that of Thoms, absorbed 4 atoms of 
bromine in a glacial acetic acid solution. With formic acid the alcohol turned turbid, 
probably as a result of the elimination of water. With permanganate we obtained no 
characteristic decomposition products. 
We may observe in passing that the value 214 determined by Thoms from the 
estimation of the molecular weight is more in concordance with a formula C,; He.O 
(for which theoretically 222 is required), than with a formula CisH2.O, of which the 
theoretical value is 194. 
From the above it is fair to assume that Thoms’ peruviol also consisted of 
nerolidol, at any rate in part, but that owing to some contamination with a body of 
the same b. p. its composition had suffered such a change that combustion gave 
values agreeing with the formula C,3H220O. 
Petitgrain Oil. As the political disturbances in Paraguay continue, the prepa- 
ration of petitgrain oil is still being carried on under difficulties, and the supplies 
are not flowing by any means so freely as they did some years ago, when it looked 
as if, owing to over-production, the article was on the way to ruin. The prices of 
the few brands from reliable sources of supply which are still in existence are there- 
fore held at correspondingly high levels, and would certainly have advanced still 
further if during the last few months the demand had not left a great deal to be 
desired. 
The difficulties existing in the conditions of production of American petitgrain oil 
have induced the manufacturers in the South of France to pay more attention to the 
French oil of petitgrain, the distillation of which had lost almost all its importance 
within the last ten years. In 1913 from 300000 to 310000 kilos of orange-shoots 
were worked up. They yielded about 650 kilos of oil, for which 85.— /fes. per kilo 
was asked. We do not know whether it has been found possible to sell the output 
at this price, which appears to us to be very high, considering that, for example, our 
artificial neroli oil, a product possessing all the properties and advantages of genuine 
neroli oil, only costs about 120.— -# per kilo, and that Paraguay petitgrain oil of the 
best quality is being offered by first-hand holders at 30.— fcs. We are hardly ever 
asked for French petitgrain oil, which in our view has become quite obsolete, and for 
this reason have omitted it from our price-lists. 
In the course of an investigation of petitgrain oil’) carried out by us in the year 1902, 
we obtained, in addition to other terpenes, a fraction possessing the odour of pinene, 
from which repeated attempts failed to separate out pinene nitrosochloride. It was 
therefore to be assumed that this fraction contained @-pinene, the identification of 
which is particularly easy when recourse is had to nopinic acid, a body discovered by 
A. von Baeyer and Villiger’), and by proceeding by the method indicated by Wallach’). 
The sample of petitgrain oil which was recently tested by us for 6-pinene, possessed 
the following constants: d1s0 0,8886, %p + 1° 3’, ester v. 120, corresponding to 42 p.c. 
ester. By repeated fractionation of the terpenes, a portion with a b. p. between 167 
and 170° (dis0 0,8474; «= —7°10’) was separated. When oxidised with potassium perman- 
1) Journ. f. prakt. Chem. Il. 67 (1903), 321; Report October 1902, 68. — *) Berl. Berichte 29 (1896), 22. — 
8) Liebigs Annalen 356 (1907), 228; Report April 1908, 59. 
