236 
ON THE DISTILLATION OF OIL OF CLOVES. 
as much water as made the whole produce up to eight pounds in 
weight In operating in the same manner on a pound of Bourbon 
cloves, of first quality, two ounces of oil were extracted on the 
first day in four hours, and on continuing the operation on the fol- 
lowing days an additional half-ounce of oil was obtained. This 
latter quantity of oil was nearly all obtained in the first two pounds 
of water which came over. Thus in eight hours additional work- 
ing, sixteen pounds of water were distilled over, without obtain- 
ing a larger result than that given in the first five hours of the 
preceding experiment. 
A third experiment was then made on two pounds of Bourbon 
cloves, of second quality, and in the course of eight hours three 
ounces and three-quarters of oil and sixteen pounds of milky water 
were obtained. In order to collect the principal part of the oil 
contained in this milky water, and to ascertain whether any ad- 
vantage would accrue from submitting the cloves to another dis- 
tillation, all the different cloves which had been previously ope- 
rated upon, together with the water drawn over, were placed in an 
ordinary still. On distillation, the first eight pounds of water 
gave about one ounce of oil. The water which came over after- 
wards was quite limpid, and after settling several hours no oil 
whatever separated from it. The apparatus employed in this dis- 
tillation, consisted of a tinned brass cylinder pierced with holes, 
eight inches long and five inches in diameter, placed within an- 
other and larger cylinder seven inches in diameter; the space 
between the two cylinders being filled with husks of rice or other 
analogous material to prevent the escape of heat. To this appara- 
tus is connected a Woulfs bottle, containing a small quantity of 
water, one orifice of which communicates with the apparatus, and 
the other with a Liebig's condensing tube. The bottle is covered 
with flannel. It is thus evident, that with an apparatus as above 
described, and a due supply of super-heated steam, a large quantity 
of oil may be obtained in a short time with little expense. 
Benzoic acid may also be prepared in the same way; about eight 
per cent, of the weight of the benzoin used being obtained. The 
odor of the acid furnished by this process is the same as that ob- 
tained in the ordinary manner. 
Super-heated steam is readily obtained by passing a current of 
