Scientific and other notes on essential oils. 65 



As well as in Germany, the resin scrape has been collected in Austria. Although 

 it is mentioned in litterature that pine resin is not suitable for the production of 

 colophony, a most simple process for the production of colophony from pine resin 

 has been successfully worked out. The resin is extracted by hot benzene, the solution 

 is then treated accordingly and filtered, whereupon the benzene is distilled off in a 

 column-apparatus and finally the oil of turpentine 1 ) is driven off from the colophony 

 by the aid of steam and a vacuum. The average yield of colophony from such resin 

 scrape amounts to 55 to 60 per cent, besides 2 to 3 1 /-2 per cent, of oil of turpentine. 

 This kind of resin is not produced by tapping or chipping the trees, but by the action 

 of the deer, and only necessitates collecting. 



A rational combination of the root extraction industry with the normal exploitation 

 of forests was introduced in Hungary for the first time last year in such a manner 

 that the roots left behind in the yearly wood clearance scheme which are useless for 

 wood culture were turned over to the wholesale manufacture of colophony and of oil 

 of turpentine. Erecting a root extraction plant for the purpose of producing colophony 

 and oil of turpentine every year from the output of roots on a commercial scale, has 

 only succeeded economically at such places where every day at least 3 /4 to one 

 carload is at disposal. The stockwood is worked out by means of explosives, preferably 

 with a chlorate explosive. Benzene is used as a solvent for extraction, occasionally 

 also trichlorethylene. The disintegrated wood is freed from oil of turpentine by 

 means of steam alone or with help of a vacuum, before being extracted. The yield 

 of oil of turpentine amounts to 1 per cent, with white fir and about 2 p. c. with black. 

 The wood-waste, freed from oil of turpentine, produces as an extract a viscous resin 

 which consists of about 90 per cent, colophony and 10 per cent, of a product resembling 

 oil of turpentine, in which, however, the terpene alcohols predominate. The extract 

 is introduced in a liquid molten state into a vacuum distillation apparatus in which 

 these 10 per cent, volatile components are driven off, this being the most difficult part 

 of the whole process. The volatile compounds are united with the oil produced by 

 steam from the wood-waste, and appear on the market as wood turpentine oil. This product 

 finds favour in various branches of industry. Owing to its high terpineol content it 

 is superior to American oil of turpentine for use as solvent in the varnish industry. 



Three such establishments are in operation in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The 

 products they put on the market resemble ordinary oil of turpentine and colophony, but 

 differ from them in some respects. The extraction of the roots is conducted according 

 to two different methods: 1. either the wood is first disintegrated and the volatile oil 

 of turpentine driven out of it before being treated with solvents, the extraction taking 

 place afterwards, or 2. the wood is extracted with solvents directly. If the first method 

 is adopted, a yield of 3 / 4 to l 1 / 2 percent, with white fir wood and l 1 /* to 2 1 /" percent, 

 with black fir of normal oil of turpentine, slightly yellow in colour, and having the 

 specific gravity of 0.876 to 0.879 at 15° is obtained which, apart from a slight musty 

 odour, owing to traces of fenchyl alcohol, can be, according to Austerweil, regarded 

 as fully good oil of turpentine. One single rectification is sufficient to produce 

 therefrom a first-class water-white product of the specific gravity of 0.861 to 0.867 which, 

 besides containing pinene, camphene, and dipentene, also shows a small amount of 

 terpineol and fenchyl alcohol. The only manner it differs from American and Austrian 

 oil of turpentine (from Pinus Laricio) is that it contains more high-boiling constituents 

 then these, i. e., that the portion which passes over above 160° is rather greater than 



a ) Probably only a product resembling oil of turpentine, like wood oil of turpentine. 



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