Scientific and other notes on essential oils. 



41 



The smell was in each case pleasant and strong and reminded of that of pine 

 needle oil. 



According to an official report of the United States Forest Service 1 ), 40 to 

 50000 pounds of "White" and "Black" Spruce fir oil and Hemlock fir oil are produced 

 yearly in the U. S. 2 ). 



The production of "Red cedar oil" (from Thuja plicata, Lamb.?) amounts to 15 to 

 20000 pounds. This oil and that from "Silver fir" are much used for perfuming soaps 

 as well as for the production of liniments and of other medicinal preparations. Cedar 

 oil is also employed for liniments and for the production of insecticides. 



Fatty oil from fir seeds. Fir seeds range among those distinguished by containing 

 fatty oil, which may perhaps be used for the manufacture of edible oil. As per a 

 communication of Count Leiningen 3 ), pine and larch seeds would come too expensive 

 to be used for producing oil; the seeds of the silver fir contain drops of turpentine 

 in the covering tissue, so that the oil would get a resinous taste; in consequence, 

 the spruce fir alone of all our native conifers might supply an edible oil. 



The cones ought to be gathered from the trees before opening, if possible, and 

 sent to a Klenganstalt, where they are dried artificially, when the seeds fall out. 

 As the wings of the seeds consist of dry tissue, full of air-cells, which would absorb 

 oil during the pressing process, it is necessary to remove them, which can be done 

 without trouble, as they come off easily. Already in times of peace, coniferous seeds 

 have been used in large quantities for obtaining oil, which, however, seems to have 

 been of inferior quality. 



As the oils from conifers belong to the drying oils, they cannot be used as lubri- 

 cators, hair oil and all such purposes as demand oils that show but little tendency to dry. 



Some years ago, when distilling seeds by themselves, we have shown already 

 that coniferous seeds are sometimes rich in volatile oils 4 ). Whilst the entire seeds 

 only yielded 2.3 per cent, of oil, the crushed ones gave off 12 to 13 per cent. 



Rose Oil. It is not surprising nowadays that rose oil adulteration should be so 

 much in vogue. Of 3 samples we received recently for examination not even one was 

 up to standard. The constants of the 3 oils are evident frorh the following table, to 

 which we have added the limiting values of a good Bulgarian trade sample for the 

 sake of comparison: — 



d 30 o 0.8518 



« D . " .. — 0°44' 



n D250 1.45222 



Solidification point . +23° 



Acid value .... 1.9 



Ester value .... 45.7 



d 30O 0.8528 



n D250 1.45482 



Ester value after acet. 212.8 



Original 

 Oil. 



After 



shaking 



with 



water. 



2 



3 



Limits: 



0.8538 



0.8546 



0.849 to 0.862 



— 0°40' 



— 1°30' 



— 1 to — 4° 



1.44962 



1.45162 



1.452 to 1.464 



+ 21° 



+ 21.5° 



+ 18 to + 23.5° 



1.9 



0.9 



0.5 to 3 



31.7 



7.5 



7 to 16 



0.8563 



0.8584 



66 to 75 per cent. 



1.45532 



1.45992 



total geraniol. 



235.2 



231.5 





Total geraniol content 69.6 per cent. 78.5 per cent. 77 per cent. 



a ) Oil, Paint and Drug Reporter; Perfum. Record 7 (1916), 258. — 2 ) The young sprouts of Abies 

 mnademis (Hemlock Fir), Picea alba, Lk. ("White Spruce" Fir) and Picea nigra, Lk. ("Black Spruce" Fir) are 

 often distilled in North America, where the different species are frequently mixed. — ') ZeiUchr. f. Abfall- 

 veruertung 1917, N° 1; Sei/ensieder-Ztg. 44 (1917), 77. — *) Report October 1912, 94. 



