( 15 ) 
Chemistry. — “ Javanese Basilicumoil and methylchavicol”. By 
Prof. P. van Romburgh. 
(Communicated in the meeting of April 23, 1909). 
In December 1900 I had the honour to communicate to the Aca¬ 
demy the results of a preliminary research, which I had carried out 
in conjunction with Dr. Tromp de Haas, as to the composition of the 
essential oil of a variety of Odmum Basilicum known as selasih 
hidjau. 
It was shown that this oil consists mainly of methylchavicol. 
Since then, I have procured larger quantities of this oil, and was 
thus enabled to isolate a few more components, and to find out 
more in particular whether an olefmic terpene may be present, 
which I had succeeded in isolating in large quantities from a related 
species (or variety). 
The oil investigated showed D l4 = 0.962 and a L = -J- 1°20' 
(/= 2 d.m.). From 1500 cc., about 210 cc. were separated by 
distillation in water vapour. These were fractionated in vacuo. 
Up to 88° were obtained 75 cc. (« = 9 0 17 , 1=2 d.m.) 
from 88—93° „ „ 105 „ (a = 1°1& l±= 2 d.m.) 
residue 26 „ . 
The distillate up to 88° was once more fractionated and 28 cc. 
were collected boiling below 70° (D =r 0.856) and 63 cc. boiling at 
70°—85°. 
As the fraction with the lowest b.p. had an odour of cineol it 
was freed from this by shaking with a 50% solution of resorcinol 1 ). 
The fraction boiling at 70°—85° was also treated in the same manner. 
The layer floating on the resorcinol, amounting to 21 cc., was again 
fractionated in vacuo and finally, a fraction was obtained boiling at 
60°—70°, D 15 = 0.8208. The quantity, however, was too small to 
admit of a further separation. The density and also the odour of 
this fraction render it very probable that it contains indeed an 
olefmic terpene, probably ocimene, mixed with a cyclic one. 
From the resorcinol solution, which had served for the elimination 
of the cineol, the latter was readily isolated by distillation in steam. 
The density (D 18 = 0.926) and the reaction with iodol proved the 
identity. Bertram and Walbaum had already shown the presence of 
cineol m German Basilicum oil and also in the Basilicum oil from 
Reunion *). 
!) Semi-Annual Report of Schimmel & Go., Oct. 1907. p. 32. 
2 ) Arch d. Pharm. 235, 176 [1897]. 
