CHEMICAL PREPARATIONS AND DRUGS. 53 
of their markets by the Americans, especially so in central and southern America. 
It is impossible to say whether this surmise is correct or whether, perhaps, New York 
has merely become the place of transit for the quantities of musk now shipped to 
Europe in an easterly direction. ; 
Thymol. This preparation belongs to the list of articles the manufacture of which, 
at competitive prices, had been found possible in Germany only, and it was therefore 
not to be wondered at that the principal consuming countries, namely England and 
the United States, were placed in an awkward position through the outbreak of the war. 
Prices soon reached a fabulous level, and as appears from the technical press, all 
attempts abroad to take up the manufacture on a large scale proved to be failures so far. 
The Chemist and Druggist') writes as follows: “The production of this phenol 
from ajowan-seed oil has not proved to be a complete success in this country so far, 
and there appears to be no immediate hope of the scarcity being relieved or the market 
price reduced. The present is an excellent opportunity for manufacturers in India, 
who profess to have surmounted all the difficulties of thymol-production, to capture 
the world’s markets, at least the British and American.” In the latter connection we 
note that the U. S. A. Commerce Reports for August 9 contain a despatch by Com- 
mercial Agent Thomas H. Norton on the very pronounced scarcity of thymol in the 
American market, and the despatch deals also with the -source and manufacture of 
thymoil. In regard to this he says:— 
“The extraction of the essential oil present in the seeds is usually effected 
in large stills, of a capacity of at least 600 gals. The seeds are introduced in 
cages or trays, which occupy the interior, and a current of live steam is passed 
through the still. The oil, carried along with the steam, condenses with it and 
floats upon the surface of the water of condensation, from which it is drawn 
off. This water is used repeatedly in the production of steam, in order to avoid 
any loss of the small amount of oil held in solution. The yield of oil from 
100 Ibs. of ajowan-seed varies from 3 to 4 lbs. Ajowan oil consists of thymol 
to the extent of from 40 to 55 p.c., accompanied by cymene, and by a terpene 
hydrocarbon. A separation from the two hydrocarbons is effected by agitation 
with a solution of caustic soda, in which the thymol dissolves in the form of 
its sodium salt. From the alkaline solution the thymol is precipitated by the 
addition of hydrochloric acid. The crude thymol is purified by crystallization 
from alcohol or glacial acetic acid. It has also been found practicable to 
submit the oil to fractional distillation and extract the thymol from the higher- 
boiling fractions by the application of cold. Pure thymol boils at 230° C. 
A large amount even can be obtained directly from the oil by exposing to 
freezing-mixtures”’. 
Dr. Norton adds that “the amount of thymol obtainable by this process from the 
annual export of ajowan-seeds from India is estimated at 20 long tons”. The thymol 
may be “obtainable”, but is not obtained, and the conventional process, given with 
modifications, is probably one of the reasons for this. Indeed, what American and 
British would-be makers of thymol want is a few “tips” as to how to turn out nice 
white crystals like the German product. It may be that the latter was partly synthetic, 
but ajowan thymol was unquestionably the principal part of the German output”. 
2) 87 (1915), 340. 
