1110 Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts, and Letters. 
showed the following properties: specific gravity at 15° C, 0.972; 
refractive index at 40°C, 1.4624; saponification value, 190.9; 
iodine value, 80.07. 
The saponifiable portion of the oil was found to be com¬ 
posed of the glyceryl esters of oleic, palmitic, stearic and 
petroselinic acids. The latter is stated to be isomeric with 
oleic acid. From the unsaponifiable residue, Matthes and 
Heintz 15 isolated a hydrocarbon, C 20 H 42 , to which they gave the 
name petrosilan; also, myricyl alcohol and a mixture giving a 
test for phytosterin. 
The average fatty oil content of the fruit is probably about 
20 per cent. 16 
Apiin. 17 Apiin (C 27 H 32 0 16 ) is a glucoside. Its melting 
point is stated to be 228 °C. On hydrolysis, it yields a sugar 
and apigenin (trioxyflavon) C 15 H 10 O 5 . It is soluble in hot 
alcohol or water, insoluble in ether, and therefore, it is not 
likely to be present in the oleoresin. 
Ash. Avaliable information concerning the constituents of 
the ash of parsley fruit is limited to the anaylsis of Rump, 18 
who reports the presence of the basic elements, K, Ca, Mg and 
Fe in combination with the acids, HC1, H 2 S0 4 , H 3 P0 4 , H 2 C0 3 
and H 2 Si0 3 , also, some free Si0 2 . 
The ash content 19 of parsley fruit is about 6.50 to 7.00 per 
cent. Commercial samples sometimes show a higher percentage 
of ash due to contamination with foreign matter. 20 
Constituents of Therapeutic Importance. 
The oleoresin of parsley fruit is said to be used chiefly as an 
emmenagogue. Such being the case, its therapeutical value 
is undoubtedly due to the volatile oil which it contains as both 
apiol 1 and myristicin, 2 constituents of the essential oil, have 
15 Ber. der. pharm. Ges. (1909), 19, p. 325. 
18 Rump, obtained 22 per cent, of fatty oil. Buchner’s Repert. f. d. Pharm. 
(1836), 6, p. 6. Grimme gives the yield as 16.7 per cent. 1. c. 
17 von Gerichten, Ber. der deutsch. chem. Ges. (1876), 9, p. 1121. 
18 Buchner’s Repert. f. d. Pharm. (1836), 56, p. 26. 
19 Rump gives the ash content as 6.5 per cent. Ibid. Warnecke reports 
the percentage of ash as 7.04. Pharm. Ztg. (1886), 31, p. 536. 
20 La Wall and Bradshaw report two commercial samples of parsley fruit 
yielding 6.61 and 9.10 per cent, of ash, respectively. Proc. A. Ph. A. (1910), 
58, p. 752. 
1 Heffter, Arch. f. exp. Path. u. Pharmak. (1895), 35, p. 365. Chevalier 
Bull. Sci. pharmacologique, 17, pp. 128-131. 
2 Juerss, Schimmel & Co., Ber. (1904), p. 159. 
