Am.  Jour,  pharm.i     Chemical  Examination  of  Nutmeg.  569 
December,  1908.    J  /  o  *j  s 
consist  of  myristic  acid,  and  this  usually  accompanies  the  highest 
boiling  constituents  of  the  oil  in  the  process  of  distillation.  In 
order,  therefore,  to  exclude  these  very  small  amounts  of  myristic 
acid,  it  would  be  necessary  that  the  essential  oil  should  represent 
only  its  more  volatile  constituents,  consisting  chiefly  of  terpenes, 
and  it  thus  becomes  evident  that  the  requirement  is  a  thoroughly 
irrational  one. 
II.    The  Expressed  Oil  of  Nutmeg. 
This  product  was  obtained  by  the  expression  of  23.7  kilogrammes 
of  Ceylon  nutmegs,  the  operation  having  been  kindly  conducted  for 
us  by  Messrs.  Stafford  Allen  &  Sons,  of  London.  An  account  of  its 
complete  investigation  is  recorded  in  the  Journ.  Chem.  Soc,  1908, 
93,  p.  1653,  to  which  reference  may  be  made. 
III.    Examination  of  the  "  Press-cake  "  from  Nutmeg. 
The  so-called  "  press-cake,"  resulting  from  the  expression  of  the 
above-mentioned  23.7  kilogrammes  of  nutmegs,  amounted  to  about 
16  kilogrammes.  After  being  finely  ground,  it  was  mixed  with 
purified  sawdust,  and  successively  extracted  in  a  large  Soxhlet 
apparatus  with  (A)  light  petroleum  (b.  p.  30-400  C.)  and  (B) 
alcohol. 
(A.)    The  Petroleum  Extract. 
This  consisted  of  a  nearly  colorless,  solid  fat,  amounting  to  2800 
grammes,  or  17.5  per  cent,  of  the  total  press-cake.  It  was  expected 
to  contain,  although  in  different  proportions,  the  same  substances 
as  had  previously  been  found  by  us  in  the  expressed  oil  of  nutmeg 
{loc.  cit.),  which  proved  to  be  the  case. 
A  quantity  (250  grammes)  of  the  fat  extracted  by  petroleum  was 
hydrolized  by  heating  for  an  hour  on  a  water-bath  with  an  alcoholic 
solution  of  80  grammes  of  potassium  hydroxide.  The  greater  part 
of  the  alcohol  was  then  removed,  water  added,  and  the  alkaline, 
aqueous  mixture  extracted  repeatedly  with  ether.  The  combined 
ethereal  liquids  were  washed  with  a  little  water,  dried  with  anhy- 
drous sodium  sulphate,  and  the  ether  removed,  when  about  10 
grammes  of  a  thick,  yellow  oil  were  obtained.  This  oil,  when  treated 
with  an  equal  volume  of  dilute  alcohol,  deposited  a  small  amount  of 
a  solid,  which  was  collected,  and  crystallized  from  a  mixture  of 
