45 2  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  { Amsept.^78.rm* 
An  American  oil  of  peppermint,  which  has  obtained  about  half  a  dozen 
of  World's  Exhibition  prize-medals,  and  is  sold  in  blue  bottles  holding 
75°  grams,  was  tested  by  the  author.  Iodine  produced  no  red  vapors 
and  anilin-red  no  coloration  ;  oil  of  turpentine  and  alcohol  were  there- 
fore absent  ;  90  per  cent,  alcohol  made  a  cloudy  solution,  while  genuine 
English  oil  dissolves  clear  in  every  proportion.  When  mixed  with 
equal  parts  of  H2S04,  a  dark-red  coloration  was  produced,  which 
remained  on  the  addition  of  alcohol,  while  English  oil  causes  a  brown 
coloration.  After  comparing  the  American  oil  with  different  samples 
of  European  oils,  the  author  came  to  the  conclusion  that  the  former 
was  adulterated  with  rectified  oil  of  sassafras.1 — Ibid.,  June,  1878,  p.  490. 
Oil  of  Thymus  Serpyllum,  Lin.,  was  by  Dr.  E.  Buri  subjected 
to  fractional  distillation  and  collected  .in  4  portions,  boiling  respectively 
at  about  1800,  2040,  2200  and  350°F.  On  agitating  these  fractions  with 
water,  acetic  and  another  acid  was  taken  up,  the  mixture  of  the  two 
having  an  odor  resembling  that  of  butyric  acid.  None  of  the  fractions 
yielded  a  crystalline  compound  with  bisulphite  of  potassium.  By  agita- 
tion with  potassa  solution,  and  treating  the  latter  with  ether,  both  before 
and  after  acidulating  it,  two  phenols  were  obtained,  that  from  the  alka- 
line liquid  being  about  3  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  the  oil,  colorless  ; 
colored  ferric  chloride  yellowish-green  and  yielded  with  sulphuric  acid 
a  sulphonic  acid,  the  salts  of  which  gave  with  ferric  chloride  an  intense 
blue  color,  like  that  produced  by  thymol  sulphonates. 
The  phenol  of  oleum  serpylli  resembles  thymol,  but  differs  from  it 
in  the  following  respects  : 
1.  Its  solution  in  diluted  alcohol  turns  green  with  iron  chloride,  while 
thymol  causes  no  noticeable  coloration. 
2.  The  phenol  of  oleum  serpylli  does  not  congeal  at  — io°C,  while 
thymol  often  remains  liquid  at  a  moderate  temperature,  but  solidifies  at 
o°C. 
3.  The  potassium  salt  of  the  sulpho-acid  is  amorphous  in  the  case 
of  serpyllum,  while  that  of  thymol  crystallizes  easily. 
Prof.  Fliickiger  adds  that  thus  far  thymol  has  been  obtained  only  from 
1  Owing  to  the  high  specific  gravity  of  oil  of  sassafras,  we  doubt  its  being  used  for 
adulterating  oil  of  peppermint.  The  latter,  if  of  American  origin,  frequently 
contains  the  oil  of  Erigeron  canadense,  a  weed,  which  always  establishes  itself  in 
American  peppermint  plantations. — Editor  Am.  Jour.  Phar. 
