ESSENTIAL OIL OF MATRICARIA PARTHENIUM. 325 
ART. LXIX.— ON THE ESSENTIAL OIL OF MATRICARIA 
PARTHENIUM. 
By Messrs. Dessaignes and Chautard. 
The plant was collected during the period of flowering, 
and the upper half, stem, leaves and flowers submitted to 
distillation ; a small quantity of a greenish volatile oil was 
collected. The oil obtained in the dry hoi summer of 1846 
became filled in the course of twenty-four hours with large 
crystalline laminss of stearoptene. No trace of stearoptene 
was obtained from oil distilled in 1S45. The produce of 
the two years was united, and exposed to a temperature of 
24° F., when it deposited numerous crystals. The stearop- 
tene separated from the oil was strongly pressed between 
folds of paper, and then exposed to the air for several days. 
The mass, at first homogeneous and granulated, when thus 
deprived of oil became firm, brittle, and assumed a crystal- 
line appearance. The pure stearoptene has a strong odour 
of camphor ; it melts at 340°, boils at 399°. The stearop- 
tene, when burned with oxide of copper, gave — 
Found. Calculated. 
Carbon . . . 78-76 78-94 
Hydrogen • . 70-60 10-53 
Oxygen ... — 10.53 
It is consequently identical with the camphor of the laurels, 
the presence of which has already been pointed out by 
Proust in several volatile oils derived from the Labiate, 
and which is now shown to exist in a plant belonging to 
the Composilas. The oil of Matricaria, separated from 
the camphor by the preceding operations, dried over chlo- 
ride of calcium, and burnt, furnished carbon, 77 60, and 
