6 Report of Schimmel 8j Co. April /October 1917. 



sugars, and nitrates increases during day-time, whereas that of reducing sugars whose 

 quantity is two-thirds of the total sugars, besides that of tannin and oil, remains fairly 

 constant throughout the day. Over-mature leaves contain much less reducing sugars, 

 whereas the proportion of non-reducing sugars, which are decidedly predominant, 

 shows little change. Leaves suitable for chewing must contain little starch and 

 reducing sugars, but large quantities of sucrose. The most important factor in forming 

 an estimate of the value of the leaves is the amount and nature of the volatile oil present. 

 The more oil the leaves contain, the better they are for chewing; over-mature leaves 

 contain less oil. The volatile oil of the betel leaves (Pan oil) is generally known to 

 consist of phenol and terpene compounds in the main, the relative proportions of which 

 vary in the different species of leaves; those leaves containing most phenol are the 

 best. The proportion of phenols varies in the non-bleached leaves from 42 (Poona 

 green leaves) to 70 per cent. (Mamtek Jcapuri leaves), and in the dark-green leaves from 

 39 to 45 per cent. Bleaching increases the percentage of oil and phenol. The bleaching 

 process itself is best done in the dark; the surrounding atmosphere must be damp to 

 prevent the leaves from getting too dry, but the moisture must not be excessive, 

 otherwise the leaves tend to rot. The temperature of the bleaching room must be * 

 between 29 and 33°, temperatures over 35° are harmful, under 24° useless. If the 

 bleaching is continued beyond producing a whitish-yellow appearance of the leaves, 

 the quality of the leaves and their oil content suffers. 



Calamus Oil. We occasionally received small lots of fresh calamus roots from 

 the low-lying districts near the Elster and Saale rivers, so that we were enabled to fill up 

 our stocks a little. Unfortunately, it was impossible to buy large quantities of the 

 roots, owing to the scarcity of men capable of gathering them. 



Amongst the calamus oil samples tested we again found several which were con- 

 siderably adulterated. An oil with the constants, di 5 o 0.9715; « D + 11°6'; acid v. 0.9; 

 ester v. 157.7 had suffered, inter alia, an addition of glycerol acetate. Accordingly, 

 it was extracted from the oil by repeated agitation with water and proved by its high 

 ester value of 700 to be triacetin. 



In another case the adulterant was terpineol. This was betrayed by the too high 

 acetylation value and the strikingly good solubility, whereas for the rest the degree 

 of rotation was comparatively low, viz., di 50 0.9617; a D -\-7°; acid v. 1.8; ester v. after 

 acet. 87.7; soluble in 1 vol. and more of 80 per cent, alcohol. By way of explanation 

 we may add that normal calamus oils do not dissolve clearly even in 10 vol. of 80 per cent, 

 alcohol and that their acetylation value varies between 30 and 50. On fractionating 

 the adulterated product a fraction was obtained which smelled strongly of terpineol, 

 which then was identified by its nitrosochloride. 



In another case the adulteration was not perceptible from the constants (di 5 o 0.9702; 

 <* D + 10°; acid v. 1.8; ester v. 5.6; soluble in any vol. of 90 percent, alcohol); the oil 

 was principally remarkable owing to its weak and at the same time striking smell, 

 and the suspicion that the cause was an adulteration was proved to be right by further 

 investigation. In fact these methods succeeded in isolating about 10 percent, safrole 

 from the oil which was easily recognized by its characteristic smell and by the fact 

 that, when cooled down and inoculated with a little solid safrole, it immediately became 

 solid. As safrole by no means belongs to the components of calamus oil, its detection 

 makes the adulteration self-evident, although apparently not pure safrole was employed, 

 but a camphor oil fraction containing safrole. 



