Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  > 
April,  1879.  i 
Abietene ,  a  New  Hydrocarbon. 
177 
Pinus  ponderosa,  it  argued  a  uniformity  in  the  chemical  characters  of  the 
products  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  pines. 
The  physical  and  chemical  characters  of  abietene,  as  described  by 
Wenzell  (Joe.  c/7.),  which  are  especially  at  variance  with  those  of  com- 
mon oil  of  turpentine,  are  the  following  :  a  strong  penetrating  odor, 
bearing  some  resemblance  to  oil  of  oranges  ;  a  specific  gravity  of 
0*694  at  a  temperature  of  i6*5°C.  ;  a  boiling-point  of  ioi°C.  ;  its 
very  volatile  and  inflammable  character,  burning  with  a  brilliant  white 
smokeless  flame  ;  the  inability  of  hydrochloric  acid  gas  to  combine 
with  it  to  form  a  hydrochlorate  ;  and,  lastly,  the  slight  effect  of  nitric 
acid  upon  the  oil. 
Although  the  quantity  of  oil  at  my  disposal  was  very  small,  I  was 
enabled  to  repeat  with  the  specimen  I  had  most  of  the  tests  regarded 
by  Wenzell  as  characteristic  of  abietene,  besides  making  some  others 
with  a  view  of  a  more  detailed  chemical  comparison  with  ordinary  oil 
of  turpentine. 
The  odor  was  very  pleasant  and  refreshing,  suggesting,  as  said,  oil 
of  oranges.  The  boiling  point  of  the  whole  sample  examined  did  not 
vary  from  1010  to  I03°C,  while,  as  is  known,  the  several  common 
varieties  of  turpentine  boil  uniformly  at  1560  to  i6i°C,  and  other 
members  of  the  terpene  group  at  1740  to  1760.  The  specific  gravity 
was  found,  as  the  mean  of  two  very  careful  determinations,  to  be 
•6974  at  i6'5°C.,  while  the  specific  gravity  of  all  naturally  occurring 
terpenes  is  '84  to  *86. 
On  examination  in  a  Wild's  polaristrobometer,  it  was  found  to  be 
optically  active,  rotating  the  plane  of  polarization  slightly  to  the  left. 
It  was  to  be  expected  that,  in  this  respect,  it  would  differ  as  the  several 
ordinary  varieties  of  turpentine  differ  from  each  other  in  this  particular. 
Thus  the  optical  rotatory  power  of  English  oil  of  turpentine  (austra- 
lene)  is  -f-I8,6°,  of  French  oil  (terebenthene)  — 35*40,  of  Venetian 
oil  — 5*2,  of  templin  oil  — 76*9°.  The  sample  of  abietene  examined 
showed  — 1*58°. 
Action  of  Hydrochloric  Acid. — A  portion  of  the  oil  was  chilled  by 
surrounding  it  with  a  freezing  mixture,  while  a  current  of  HC1  was 
passed  through  it  for  some  hours.  A  small  quantity  of  a  dark  oil 
separated  out  in  the  bottom  of  the  flask.  Having  removed  this  by 
means  of  a  separatory  funnel,  the  turpentine  oil  was  submitted  to  dis- 
tillation.    Most  of  it  came  over  under  I05°C,  and  was,  apparently, 
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