— 40 — 
The value of the essential oils exported from Bombay was as 
follows: — 
1899 — 1900, 278005 rupees. 
1900— 1901, 341670 
1901 — 1902, 610783 „ 
The enormous increase is probably only due to the above-named 
oils, as for the rest only a small quantity of lemongrass oil comes 
under consideration, of which the bulk, as is well known, is shipped 
direct from Cochin. The shipments of geranium oil from Bombay were: 
from July i^^ 1901 to June 30^^ 1902, 23460 lbs. 
„ 1'^ 1902 „ „ 30^^ 1903, 107605 „ 
The turnover has therefore increased nearly five-fold. 
E. Charabot and G. Laloue^) have made experiments to 
ascertain the distribution of some organic substances in the geranium 
plant {Pelargonium odoratissimum). These have given the following 
results: the content of volatile acids diminishes from the leaf towards 
the stem. The stem and leaf stalks do not contain a trace of essential 
oil. The seat of the terpene compounds is exclusively in the leaves. 
This explains why the geranium flowers are odourless. It confirms 
at the same time the hypothesis that the essential oil, or at least the 
compounds from which it originates, produced in the chlorophyl- 
containing organs of the plant, and from there spread into the other 
parts of the plant, in which they then undergo more or less far-reaching 
changes. A distillation of 78,9 kilos geranium leaves by means of 
steam, yielded 130 grams oil. From the aqueous distillate (130 litres) 
additional 2 5 grams oil were extracted with ether. The properties of the 
two oils were as follows : 
Oil separated from the distillate: Water oil: 
d = 0,8979 0,8930 
a^ = — 11^02' -5^13' 
acid number = 47 16,5 
ester number = 16,6 6,7 
ester-content = 7,0^/^ 2,8^/0 (calculated as geranyl tiglinate) 
alcohol-content = 70,7 „ 77,5 „ (calculated as (Z^^Yi^^Q) 
citronellol = 37,5 „ 30,6 „ 
geraniol = 33,2 ,, 46,9 ,, (difference) 
composition of | 53,0 „ 39,4 „ citronellol 
the alcoh. portion [ 47,0 „ 60,6 „ geraniol 
A small quantity of aldehyde isolated from the water oil with sodium 
bisulphite was recognised as citral. 
^) Compt. rend. 136 (1903), 1467. 
