On the Volatile Oil in the Wood of Cryptomeria Japonica. 



BY 



C. Kimoto. 



One of the most common and most highly esteemed conife- 

 rous trees in Japan is Cryptomeria Japonica. The wood is 

 durable and takes a good polish, and further it has an agreeable 

 odor, somewhat suggesting that of peppermint, and on this 

 account it is generally used as the material for sake casks. 

 Thus the sake acquires a peculiarly agreeable although weak, 

 aroma. In order to study the nature of this odoriferus principle 

 I distilled about 2 kg of this wood in the form of small chips 

 with water, and separated the oil rising to the surface of the 

 distillate in the usual way by removing at first as much water 

 as possible by means of a syphon, shaking with choroform and 

 separating it again by distillation. Thus was obtained nearly 

 13 c.c. of an oily substance which had the characteristic smell 

 of the original wood. 



Since no trace of crystallization had manifested itself after 

 several weeks I subjected the oil to a fractional distillation with 

 the following result : 



