— 49 — 
In our April Report of this year we mentioned, on page 46, 
that in examining a lavender oil we detected benzoic acid as 
a new adulterant, which had clearly been used for the purpose 
of artificially increasing the ester-content. J. E. Weber^) of Cin- 
cinnati reports on a similar case, in which, however, salicylic acid 
had been employed instead of benzoic acid-. Here also it appears 
first of all to have been a test-case, as the quantity of acid 
used in the adulteration only amounted to i per cent of the 
oil, from which an increase in the ester-content of 1,75 per cent is 
calculated. 
The oil examined by the author had a good odour; it dissolved 
in 2,5 volumes of 70 per cent alcohol, and showed the following 
constants: d^50 =0,893; \_a]jy — 6^42'; acid-number 4,48; ester- 
content 35,52 per cent. 
Apart from the somewhat high acid-number, the data found did 
not give rise to any suspicion. But after some time a reddish dis- 
coloration was observed in the oil, which disappeared again on 
extracting the oil with caustic liquor or dilute hydrochloric acid. In 
the first case the volume decreased by about 2^/2 per cent; in the 
second, iron was detected in the acid used for extracting. To all 
appearances the colour had been caused by absorption of iron from 
the vessel containing the oil. 
An alcoholic solution of the oil showed with one drop ferric 
chloride a dark-red colour, which does not occur if genuine lavender 
oil is used. When a larger quantity of the oil was extracted with 
soda liquor, a crystallising acid was obtained, which, after recrystallis- 
ation, melted at 156° to 157°, and was found to be salicylic acid. 
The acid was further identified by conversion into methyl salicylate, 
and also by the violet colour-reaction with ferric chloride. 
The content of salicylic acid can be ascertained with great accu- 
racy by titration with alcoholic potash liquor, phenolphthalein being 
used as indicator. A lavender oil to which 4,76 per cent salicylic 
acid had been added, showed on titration 4,73 per cent acid. 
Lemongrass Oil. The prices of this oil fluctuated during the 
last few months between 4Y2 and 5Y2 equal to 14,50 to 17 Marks 
per kilo purchase price, but the article appears to be scarce in India, 
as large parcels were rarely offered. We hear from Cochin that 
the yield of the harvest has been very small, and that in conse- 
quence the merchants are holding the goods back in order to obtain 
higher prices. 
Chemiker-Zeitung 26 (1902), 875. 
4 
