The oil seained from P. Oraiecloe Mad according " 
characteristics from the oils of P. graveolens, L’Hérit. from the East 
and of P. graveolens, Ait. (P. terebinthinaceum, Cav.) from Algiers a). 
total geraniol was found amongst other things in the two last-menti 
is to be assumed that the species described by Furukawa as P. graveolens is i¢ 
with either P. graveolens, L’Hérit. or with ie graveolens, Ait. os AN 
That a verification of the constants alone is not always sufficient, ‘was: 
the examination of a sample of African geranium oil. The oil offered us 
had the following properties: — diso 0,8992, ¢p —7°10’, np 1.47053, acid 
ester value 51.8 = 21.8 per cent. geranyl tiglinate, ester value after a 
226.8 = 75.1 percent. total geraniol, soluble in 1.5 volumes’and more of 70 perc 
alcohol. Accordingly the sample should be reckoned as normal, especially | 
odour was satisfactory. But a more searching examination of the last-men 
property by comparison with an oil guaranteed pure, raised certain doubts, which were 
finally proved to be well founded. It turned out that the oil contained ingredients 
which reacted with sodium bisulphite, which does not happen in the case of a pure 
geranium oil. The bisulphite compound obtained was sucked off, purified and decomposed; . 
when the odour of citronellal appeared. Unfortunately we only had a small amount 
of oil at our disposal, so that we were unable to further confirm the citronellal Oa | 
forming a derivative, but we had to be. satisfied with the evidence furnished | by fhe 
smell. In any case it had been proved that something had been added to the geranium | 
oil, and we are strongly of the opinion that it was a case ofa geraniol obtained from _ i 
citronella oil and adulterated with citronellal. oes ee 
Less care was shown in a similarly adulterated. African geranium oil. In this case — 
a distinct odour of citronella oil was noticeable, in addition the optical rotation and a 
_ ester value were too low: —dis0 0.8963, a — 3° 4’, Np»o 1.47191, acid value 1.8, ester value 
21.0 = 8.9 percent. geranyl tiglinate, ester value after acetylation 221.2 = 72.9) per cent. 
total geraniol, soluble in 1.5 volumes and more of 70 per cent. alcohol, diluted solution 
cloudy. This oil reacted more vigorously with bisulphite than the fore in may 
had bared as adulterant. 
Glycerin acetate was found to be another adulterant of geranium. y oil. 
was only a small amount present in the oil in question; it was separated: es 
shaking up with water many times; the aqueous extract was evaporated, leav 
a 1.5 per cent. residue, which by its high saponification number, 506.2, “rev 
itself as glycerin acetate. Still, we have made mention of this observation 
for it shows in what a variety of ways the adulteration can be effected. — 
Ginger Oil. —H. Nomura has continued his investi- 
gations of the pungent substance in the ginger root®) and 
reports that the contained compound in addition to zin- 
gerone is Shogaol Ci;HeOs,. an unsaturated «,f-ketone 
with the following constitutional formula‘): — — 
1) Cf. Report 1918, 28. — 2) Cf. Report Oct. 1918, 62. — 3 
Journ. Soc. chem. Industry 88 (1919), R. 309. 
