ATTAR  OF  ROSE. 
133 
at  first  colorless,  but  speedily  becomes  yellowish.  Its  sp.  gr. 
at  18°  R.  (72-5°  Fahr.)  is  0-87  ;  its  boiling  point  229°  C.  (444° 
Fahr.).  It  consists  of  an  elasoptene  and  a  stearoptene,  the 
former  the  source  of  the  odor,  the  latter  of  the  property  of 
congealing  into  a  solid  form. 
Pure  attar  of  rose,  once  distilled,  solidifies  at  a  temperature 
of  from  11°  to  16°  C.  (51-8°  to  60-8°  Fahr.)  or  still  higher.  It 
is  soluble  among  other  things  in  absolute  alcohol  and  in  acetic 
acid.  Its  odor  is  rose-like  with  a  peculiar  honey-like  sweetness, 
agreeable  only  when  highly  diluted.*  The  most  usual,  and  by 
long  practice  also  the  most  certain  criteria  of  the  purity  of 
attar  of  rose,  are 
1.  The  temperature  which  it  congeals. 
2.  Its  manner  of  crystallizing. 
3.  Its  odor. 
In  that  which  concerns  the  estimation  of  attar  according  to 
its  richness  in  stearoptene,  great  caution  and  attentive  observa- 
tion are  requisite.  As  the  stearoptene  in  a  pure  state  is  com- 
pletely inodorous,  an  examination  as  to  its  presence  is  properly 
of  no  real  value,  for  the  less  congealable  the  oil  (i.  e.  the  freer 
from  stearoptene),  the  stronger  and  more  agreeable  in  its  odor. 
Attar  of  rose  is  used  only  as  a  perfume  ;  moreover  it  contains  a 
body  which  being  itself  devoid  of  odor,  weakens  the  intensity 
of  the  odorous  principle,  thus  diminishing  (taking  an  economical 
view)  the  value  of  the  attar  as  a  perfume.  But  it  is  not  so 
judged  in  commerce.  In  Kizanlik,  as  at  all  other  places,  attar 
is  up  to  the  present  time  bought  and  sold  chiefly  according  to  the 
temperature  at  which  it  solidifies,  — in  other  words  according  to 
the  proportion  which  it  contains  of  inodorous  camphor  or  attar - 
of-rose-stearoptene.  Why  is  this  ?  The  answer  is  simple.  The 
stearoptene  is  to  a  certain  extent  one  of  the  constant  constit- 
uents of  attar  of  rose,  and  an  indicater  of  its  purity.  If  rose- 
oil  be  augmented  by  fradulent  additions,  its  congealing  point 
will  be  thereby  diminished,  and  it  will  be  necessary  to  increase 
its  crystallizing  tendency  by  the  addition  of  some  substance 
possessing  properties  like  those  of  the  natural  stearoptene.  But 
*  This  is  entirely  a  matter  of  taste.  To  many  persons  the  odor  of  the 
undiluted  attar  is  extremely  delicious. — D.  H. 
