— 8o — 
landrene, methyl chavicol, hydroquinone ethyl ether, anisic aldehyde 
and anisic acid, the author detected as new constituents, anisic ketone, 
a sesquiterpene with a rotatory power of — 5°, and a body of the 
melting point 212°, which is perhaps identic with the body^) melting 
at 213° discovered in fennel oil. According to Tardy, star-anise 
oil also contains terpineol, but of this he submits no evidence, beyond 
the boiling point 216 to 218°; a definite proof of his assertions is 
therefore still in abeyance. 
Tardy was not able to confirm the presence of safrol which 
Oswald 2) had considered very probable. 
The oil from the leaves and fruit of Illicium religiosumj which is 
designated as Japanese star-anise oil, differs widely from Chinese 
star-anise oil. On a previous occasion ^) we have already given some 
information on this point. Eykman^) has examined this oil more 
thoroughly, and has detected in it a terpene, eugenol^ and safrol. 
Tardy gives some particulars on the composition of the oil from the 
fruit. He extracted the dried and pulverised fruit successively with 
petroleum ether, alcohol, and water. 
The extracts obtained with alcohol and w^ater were solid amorphous 
masses, but with petroleum ether an oil was produced, which, after 
purification by destination in vacuo, turned the polarised light i ° 50^ 
to the left. By extracting the oil with potash liquor, eugenol could 
be isolated, in addition to a small quantity of fatty acids; it could be 
converted into vanillin, which was clearly recognised by its odour. 
From the low boiling fractions of the oil not absorbed by potash liquor, 
the author obtained two hvdrochlorides. 
The fraction of 170 to 177° consisted chiefly of cineol. It was 
converted into the bromide and regenerated from the latter; a small 
quantity could then be obtained in the solid state. 
The fraction of 220 to 230° yielded on oxidation a small quantity 
of anisic acid, from which the author draws the conclusion, that the 
presence of anethol, or at least of methyl chavicol, might not by 
entirely denied. Oxidation of the fraction 230 to 235^ yielded 
piperonylic acid of the melting point 228°, which points to the pres- 
ence of safrol. The higher fractions contained chiefly sesquiterpenes. 
The residue, which was considerable, yielded on saponification pal- 
mitic acid of the melting point 62°. 
Vetiver Oil. The consumption of this oil shows a large increase 
in recent times, probably due to the constantly growing taste for intense 
^) Report October 1897, 28. 
2) Archiv d. Pharm. 229 (1891), 95. 
^) Bericht September 1885, 29; Report October 1893, 50. 
^) Rec. trav. chim. des P. B. 4 (1885), 32. — Berliner Berichte 18 (1885), Ref.281. 
