62 Report of Schimmel §€0. April /October 1917. 



The adulterant consisted of a petroleum fraction, which was proved among other 

 things by the fact that when it was shaken with the same volume of cinnamaldehyde 

 more than half the oil became separated. Cinnamaldehyde does not mix with petroleum, 

 whereas oil of turpentine dissolves in cinnamaldehyde to any extent. 



That really good oil of turpentine is still obtainable was amply proved by the 

 quality of the commodity forwarded after raising objections. 



Camphor oil is often used as a substitute for oil of turpentine. E.Coen 1 ) recommends 

 the following test for detecting it in oil of turpentine, a method depending on the 

 presence of safrol in camphor oil. 100 cc. of the oil in question are distilled and 

 the 5 last cc. of the distillate are mixed drop by drop with 5 cc. of concentrated 

 sulphuric acid, whereby the mixture is to be cooled each time after adding the acid. 

 After adding 20 cc. of water, the mixture is shaken with 10 cc. of amyl alcohol and 

 then 5 cc. of a 20 per cent, carbonate of potash solution added. The presence of 

 safrol is then said to be apparent by a green or blue colouring which turns to red 

 on adding sulphuric acid. On retesting Coen's method we were quite unable to detect 

 the colouring mentioned by him. Mixtures of oil of turpentine with safrol as well 

 as camphor oils containing the latter only produced a dirty violet colour which turned 

 to red on adding sulphuric acid. 



Hence we will refrain from criticism until we have been able to study his 

 original paper. 



The question of obtaining turpentine products in Germany is till a matter of vital 

 importance, hence the litterature on this object has become exceedingly voluminous and 

 several long articles about it have appeared which are suitable for our present Report. 



E. R. Besemf elder 2 ), in an article entitled "The Sources of Resin in Germany", 

 attempts to answer the question whether we possess sufficient sources of resin in 

 Germany, if these are utilized in an efficient manner, and finally, if we are able to 

 become independent of foreign countries which have hitherto supplied us. 



Rosin and oil of turpentine, both substances which are almost indispensable in 

 many arts, such as the varnish, paint, soap, munition, and paper manufacture, are 

 solely produced by pines and firs, in spite of all attempts to find substitutes by 

 distilling coal. According to the survey of woods and forests in the year 1900, the 

 total area covered by them in Germany amounted to 13995869 hectares 3 ), of which 

 9 451 069 hectares were covered by pines and firs. Of the high forests, 2571 952 hectares 

 consisted of hard wood and 8407267 hectares of conifers, and of the latter 5.6 million 

 hectares were pines. The total area covered by high forests amounted to 10979219 hectares, 

 the remainder consisting of copses, brushwood, and plantations. 



According to an estimate made in 1913, 12462000 tons of pine and fir wood were 

 available in Germany. The question is now as to how the turpentine products con- 

 tained in this enormous quantity of wood, can best' be utilized. •Besemfelder proposes 

 two solutions for this purpose, one being the quick-ripening of the wood, the other 

 the extraction of all wood waste from root-stocks to sawdust. 



According to the quick-maturing process which the firm of Schilde, of Hersfeld, 

 Hesse-Nassau, have worked out, wood taken fresh from the forests and freshly sawn, 

 is turned into quite mature wood, capable of being worked in every manner, in the 

 course of 3 days. The resin, produced from conifers according to this method, remains 



x ) Annali Lab. chim. centr. della Gabella 7 (1914), 99; Journ. de Pharm. et Chim. VII. 12 (1915), 395. 

 Chem. Ztg. 40 (1916), 997. — Chem. Industrie 40 (1917), 11. — 3 ) 1 Hectare = 2 1 /? acres. 



