Am'  jui^y.'wo^1^'  j    Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  339 
By  inoculating  the  fraction  (of  which  the  temperature  had  been  much 
reduced)  with  solid  terpineol,  and  letting  it  stand  in  the  cold  for  a 
prolonged  time,  terpineol  of  the  melting  point  350  was  obtained. 
Oil  from  Amomum  mala.  An  oil  very  similar  to  the  one  just 
described  was  received  by  us  from  the  Biologico-agricultural  Insti- 
tute of  Amani  (German  East  Africa).  The  brownish-yellow  oil  ob- 
tained in  a  yield  of  about  076  per  cent.,  is  a  distillate  from  the 
pulverized  fruit  (seed  and  peel)  of  Amomum  mala,  a  Zingiberacea 
very  widely  distributed  in  the  forests  of  German  East  Africa.  This 
oil  is  also  closely  allied  in  its  properties  and  composition  to  the  car- 
damom oils  which  (contrary  to  the  preceding  oil)  is  explained  by  its 
botanical  origin.  A  preliminary  examination  showed  that  this  oil 
also  contains  much  cineol  (melting  point  of  the  iodol-compound 
112°),  and  also  terpineol.  The  oil  distilled  over  at  7  mm.  between 
510  and  100°;  d15Q  0-9016;  aD  —  10°  54';  acid  number  3-5  ;  ester 
number  1-7  ;  ester  number  after  acetylation  67-05  ;  makes  a  cloudy 
solution  with  1  to  1-5  and  more  volumes  80  per  cent,  alcohol. 
Oil  from  an  African  species  of  Labiatse.  An  oil  also  originating 
from  German  East  Africa,  from  a  species  of  Labiatae  growing  there 
wild  concerning  which  we  have  not  yet  had  any  further  information. 
The  red-brown  oil  had  an  odor  like  thymoquinone ;  d150  09594; 
saponification  number  42  67  ;  ester  number  after  acetylation  164-6; 
soluble  in  1-5  and  more  volume  80  per  cent,  alcohol;  from  the  dilute 
solution  flakes  (paraffin  ?)  separate  off  after  some  time. 
The  cultivation  of  andropogon  grasses  has  also  been  tried  at 
Amani.    We  recived  from  there  the  following  two  oils : 
Vetiver  oil.  The  oil  distilled  from  fresh  roots  has  a  bright  yellow 
color;  d150  1-0023  ;  aD  -j-  330  42',  acid  number  16-06;  ester  number 
12- 16;  ester  number  after  acetylation  142-35  ;  soluble  in  1  and  more 
volume  80  per  cent,  alcohol. 
The  oil  corresponds  to  the  distillates  produced  in  Reunion,  and  is 
a  normal  product  serviceable  for  the  purposes  of  the  perfumery 
trade.  The  differences  between  this  oil  and  the  oils  distilled  in  Ger- 
many may  be  explained  by  the  different  character  of  the  distillation 
material. 
Less  favorable  are  the  results  of  the  experiments  made  with  the 
cultivation  of  Andropogon  citratus  D.  C,  at  least  the  sample  of 
Lemongrass  oil  obtained  from  fresh  plants,  which  has  been  sent 
to  us,  cannot  be  considered  a  competing  product,  as  the  following 
