216 
Adulteration  of  Volatile  Oils. 
A.m.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1908. 
and  continue  heating  until  saponification  is  complete.  Then  add 
the  cresol,  stir  well,  cover  the  vessel  and  allow  to  stand,  stirring 
occasionally  until  a  clear  solution  is  produced,  finally  add  sufficient 
water  to  make  the  finished  product  weigh  1,000  grammes. 
When  it  is  desired  to  add  volatile  oils  to  the  preparation,  for  the 
purpose  of  masking  its  odor  or  rendering  it  more  pleasant,  I  find 
that  up  to  2  per  cent,  of  any  volatile  oil  can  be  added  to  the  finished 
product  without  rendering  it  turbid  or  impairing  its  solubility.  Of 
oils  whose  constituents  consist  mainly  of  substances  of  the  phenolic 
type,  like  oil  of  cloves,  as  much  as  5  per  cent,  may  be  added. 
The  preparation  can  also  be  mixed  to  advantage  with  such  prep- 
arations as  Liq.  Antisepticus  U.S. P. 
School  of  Pharmacy  of 
Northwestern  University. 
ADULTERATION  OF  VOLATILE  OILS.1 
By  Drs.  Gkorge  R.  Pancoast  and  W.  A.  Pearson. 
The  American  who  ordinarily  demands  honest  dealing  and  de- 
spises deception,  accepts  with  amazing  meekness  the  present  vola- 
tile oils. 
It  is  an  open  secret  that  sophistication  is  practised,  due  largely 
to  the  extreme  pressure  of  competition  and  the  demand  for  cheaper 
products.  We  do  not  say  that  only  the  highest  grade  should  be 
sold,  for  that  would  greatly  limit  the  scope  of  usefulness,  but  we  do 
think  that  each  grade  should  be  sold  under  its  proper  label.  It  has 
been  demonstrated  that  cheaper  grades  do  not  endanger  the  market 
for  the  best  quality,  but  that  indirectly  the  sale  of  the  better  grade 
is  augmented,  the  cheaper  grade  finding  new  uses  where  the  best 
grade  is  limited  because  of  its  price. 
This  is  the  true  condition  at  Grasse,  the  very  centre  of  volatile  oil 
production,  and  is  equally  true  of  many  of  our  commodities.  De- 
ception steps  in  when  a  cheap  article  is  given  for  an  expensive  one. 
The  main  use  of  volatile  oils  is  in  imparting  agreeable  flavors  and 
odors  to  various  products,  thus  occupying  an  exalted  position  in 
1  Read  before  the  Philadelphia  Branch  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical 
Association,  April  7,  1908. 
