14 Report of Schimmel § Co. April/October 1917. 



however bear in mind, as Hargreaves remarks, that Smith only identified the components 

 by colour reactions or by their smell and that he neither made analyses nor produced 

 derivatives. 



Hargreaves obtained from the bark 2.47 per cent, of an oil with the following 

 constants: d 2 3o 1.030; n D23 o 1.5165, which he separated by repeated fractionation (30 mm. 

 pressure) into components boiling up to 90°, from 90 to 120°, from 120 to 135°, and 

 from 135 to 155°. In the first fractions he proved the presence of «-pinene by the 

 nitrosochloride, melting at 108°. The second fraction contained ^-camphor (boiling 

 point 204°; oxime, melting at 119°). In the third fraction saf role was present (melting 

 point 8°; constants: di 8 ol.09^ n D20 o 1.535) which was characterized by the preparation of 

 its «-nitrosite melting between 129 and 130°. The highest-boiling fraction contained 

 methyl eugenol which boiled between 146 and 147° at 30 mm. pressure, and at 244° 

 at ordinary pressure, forming veratric acid (melting point 179°), when oxidized with 

 potassium permanganate, and formed a tribromo derivative, melting between 77 and 78°. 

 The fractions boiling above 150° (30 mm.) appeared to consist in the main of methyl 

 eugenol, as on being oxidized with permanganate the principal resulting product was 

 veratric acid. 



The quantitative composition of the bark oil was about the following: — 12 to 



15 per cent. «-pinene; 17 to 20 per cent, camphor; 25 to 27 per cent, saf role and 

 40 to 45 per cent, methyl eugenol. 



In the oil of the leaves, Hargreaves identified: «-pinene (nitrosochloride, m. p. 103°); 

 phellandrene(?); d-camphor; a phenol CioHi 5 2 (?!), and a green compound, boiling 

 at 263°. The quantitative composition was: — 25 per cent. «-pinene and phellandrene(?); 

 60 percent, d- camphor; 15 percent, phenols and other compounds. 



Strange to say, safrole does not occur in the leaves. Camphor oil affords a similar 

 case, safrole being a component of the wood oil, but not being present in the leaves. 



. Citronella Oil. When E. J. Parry 1 ), a short while ago, advocated the removal of 

 "Schimmel's test" from practice and all professional literature, A. Binz 2 ) published a 

 reply, according to which the British objection to this test is easily comprehensible, 

 as this method of commercial analysis has been the means of finding out the British 

 adulterators of the oil coming from Ceylon. It is only since this test is in use that 

 the citronella oil trade has been put on a sound footing. Parry disputes the value 

 and reliability of "Schimmel's test" by stating among other reasons the possibility of 

 finding adulterants of the same solubility as citronella oil, e.g. the lower boiling 

 fractions of petroleum. According to his view, the only sure test is an exact chemical 

 investigation, especially the determination of the acetylizable constituents. 



Although, as Binz states, these arguments are not at all badly put, they are easily 

 refuted. It is true that the lower boiling fractions of petroleum escape our solubility 

 test; these adulterations, as well as others, can be detected by a more thorough investi- 

 gation and are found out as soon as the oil gets into the hands of an analyst. The 

 buyer, however, is in most cases not an analyst and can carry out neither acetylations 

 nor other chemical tests. But he is in a position to apply Schimmel's very simple 

 test. It is for this reason that "Schimmel's test" is absolutely indispensable and must 

 be kept at all events. It is the least that can be required of any Ceylon citronella 

 oil and represents so to speak the first coarse sieve, usable for everybody in order 

 to discard bad qualities. The closer investigation by the analyst follows in second line. 



L ) Perfum. Record 7 (1917), 368. — 2 ) Deutsche Parf.-Ztg. 3 (1917), 57. 



