A  January  fist™'}  Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  35 
Citriodoric  aldehyde  ^  >C  =  CH  —  CH2  —  CH2— C  =  CH  — CHO 
CH3 
Allo-lemonal  SS^C  =  CH  —  CH  =  CH  —  CH  —  CH9  —  CHO 
CH, 
CH3 
Only  the  last  named  is  optically  active,  and  this  rotates  the  ray  of 
polarized  light  to  the  left. 
Geranial  cooked  with  sodium  acetate  is  converted  into  the  two 
other  aldehydes,  and  these  on  treatment  with  dilute  acid,  go  over 
into  geranial. 
The  existence  in  the  oil  of  a  fourth  aldehyde  of  cedar-like  odor 
and  of  high  boiling  point  is  announced,  but  no  extended  work  has 
yet  been  done.  H.  V.  Arny. 
AROMATIC  WATERS. 
E.  Ewers  reports  (Apoth.  Zeitung.,  XIH,  75,  76)  an  investigation 
touching  the  quantitative  estimation  of  volatile  oils  in  aromatic 
waters.  Finding  extraction  with  ether  and  evaporation  of  ethereal 
solution  of  the  oil,  either  by  heat  or  by  passage  of  air  through  the 
container,  invariably  gave  uncertain  results,  he  tried  extraction  of 
the  oil  from  400  c.c.  of  the  water  (in  which  was  dissolved  25  per 
cent,  sodium  chloride)  by  agitation  with  50  c.c.  petroleum  ether 
(B.  P.  500)  evaporation  of  25  c.c.  of  the  separated  benzin  solution 
by  passage  of  air  through  the  container,  in  which  was  placed  o- 1  to 
015  gramme  olive  oil. 
The  fixed  oil,  he  claims,  retains  the  volatile  oil  admirably,  and  his 
experiments  at  extraction  of  aqueous  solutions  of  known  strength  of 
volatile  oil,  even  when  containing  10  per  cent,  of  alcohol,  gave 
almost  quantitative  results. 
He  then  estimated  the  oil  strength  of  three  aromatic  waters,  fen- 
nel, peppermint  and  cinnamon,  which  he  prepared  after  formula  of 
das  "  Deutsche  Arzneibuch,"  by  distillation  of  the  drug  in  various 
stills  and  under  differing  conditions  ;  distillation  from  water  alone  ; 
from  water  through  which  live  steam  was  passed  ;  and  lastly,  with 
live  steam,  no  water  being  mixed  with  the  drug.  He  also,  in  the 
case  of  fennel  and  peppermint,  prepared  waters  by  rubbing  the  oil 
with  calcium  carbonate  and  water  and  subsequent  filtration.  The 
result  of  his  assays  expressed  in  grammes  to  the  liter,  are  : 
