442      Essential  Oik  of  Bay,  Pimenta  and  Cloves.    { ^""sSt.?!^*'""' 
gives  the  specific  gravities  of  the  various  fractions  of  light  and  heavy 
oils  obtained  in  the  process  of  distillation ;  the  fraction  of  the  heavy 
oil  having  the  highest  gravity  being  only  1*037  ;  the  fraction  of  the 
light  having  the  lightest  gravity  being  0*8 70.  But  singularly,  he  fails 
to  give  either  the  relative  proportions  of  these  two  oils  obtained  in  the 
process  of  distilling  or  the  specific  gravity  of  the  finished  oil. 
Prof.  J.  M.  Maisch,  who  was,  perhaps,  the  first  to  record  any  ex- 
amination of  this  oil,  states  (Amer.  Jour.  Phar.,  1861)  that  the 
specific  gravity  must  be  near  0*930,  as  it  floats  in  diluted  alcohol, 
slowly  rising  to  the  surface. 
The  writer  has  carefully  taken  the  specific  gravity  of  a  number  of 
samples  of  oil  of  bay  at  60°  F.,  and  using  an  accurate  10  grm.  sp.  gr. 
bottle ;  the  following  being  those'  of  fine  odor,  and  believed  from 
physical  properties  and  comparative  tests  to  be  pure. 
ISTo.  1— 0-970.        No.  3— 0-9672.      No.  5—0-9765.      No.  7—0-9828 
No.  2—0-9716.       No.  4—0-9696.       No.  6—0-9810. 
Nos.  1  and  3  are  samples  of  Dodge  &  Olcott's  distilling.  No.  2  is 
a  sample  in  the  museum  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy, 
received  some  time  ago  from  A.  H.  Riise.  Judging  from  its  fine 
bouquet  and  solubilty  it  is  likely  distilled  from  the  green  leaf.  No.  5 
is  a  sample  distilled  in  St.  Thomas  from  green  leaf. 
Prof.  Maisch,  in  his  paper  before  referred  to,  states  that,  with 
alcohol  a  clear  solution  cannot  be  obtained.  If  a  single  drop  be  added 
to  half  a  fluidounce  of  85  or  95  percent,  alcohol  it  sinks  to  the 
bottom,  marking  its  passage  down  by  a  milky  streak,  and  on  agitation 
a  white  turbid  fluid  is  obtained,  which  gradually  deposits  a  white  film 
leaving  the  supernatant  liquid  clear."  The  Pharmacopoeia  says, 
"soluble  in  an  equal  weight  of  alcohol.''  Oil  of  bay  is  peculiar  in  its 
action  with  alcohol.  While  not  yielding  a  clear  solution  in  95  or  85 
per  cent,  alcohol  there  is  no  separation  of  oil  globules. 
The  writer  has  examined  a  number  of  specimens  of  this  oil  and  has 
never  found  one  yielding  a  perfectly  clear  solution  with  alcohol  or 
absolute  alcohol.^  It  appears  to  me,  that  the  compilers  of  the  last 
edition  of  the  U.  S.  P.  either  had  examined  an  adulterated  sample  of 
oil  or  did  not  consider  it  pertinent  to  tersely  explain  this  important 
peculiarity  of  this  oil. 
Oil  of  pimenta  and  oil  of  cloves  are  correctly  described  in  the 
U.  S.  P.  as  yielding  solutions  with  an  equal  volume  of  alcohol. 
^  The  oil  from  the  green  leaf  appears  to  yield  a  less  turbid  solution. 
