278 
Australian  Sandalwood  Oil. 
5  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
I      April,  1921. 
Thus,  in  round  atomic  figures: 
C17  H33  COOH  +  I2  =  Ci7  H33  I2COOH 
286       +  254 
That  is  to  say,  286  parts  by  weight  of  oleic  acid  will  theoreti- 
cally absorb  254  parts  by  weight  of  iodine.  This  would  give  a 
content  of  almost  50  per  cent,  iodine,  a  strength  beyond  medical 
requirements,  but  it  shows  that  strengths  from  1  per  cent,  to  30 
per  cent,  may  be  readily  prepared. 
Four  Per  Cent.  Stainless  Iodine  Ointment: — (Same  strength  as 
the  official  iodine  ointment.) 
1.  Iodine,  in  fine  powder,  y2  oz. 
2.  Acid  oleic,  1  oz. 
3.  Soft  paraffin,  11  oz. 
Method: — Mix  1  and  2,  and  warm  very  gently  on  a  water 
bath  till  combination  is  effected,  stirring  well.  Then  add  3.  Stir, 
and  allow  to  cool. 
As  stated  above,  by  varying  the  amount  of  iodine,  and  keeping 
the  amount  of  oleic  acid  at  least  equal  parts  in  weight,  any  strength 
up  to  30  per  cent,  may  be  readily  prepared,  and  if  a  more  readily 
absorbent  base  were  needed  lanoline  may  be  substituted  for  the 
soft  paraffin. 
AUSTRALIAN  SANDALWOOD  OIL  * 
An  important  addition  to  the  literature  on  Western  Australian 
sandalwood  oil  has  been  published  in  the  latest  issue  of  the  Bulletin 
of  the  Imperial  Institute  (No.  2,  Vol.  XVIII).  Up  to  the  present 
very  little  has  been  known  regarding  the  true  nature  of  the  con- 
stituents of  the  oil,  but  viewed  in  the  light  of  the  official  require- 
ments for  East  Indian  sandalwood  oil,  it  is  at  once  apparent  that 
the  Australian  product  is  not  suitable  for  medicinal  use.  This 
truth  has,  however,  tended  to  obscure  the  purpose  for  which  im- 
porters primarily  intended  the  oil — namely,  as  a  cheap  substitute  for 
Mysore  oil  in  the  soap  and  perfumery  industries.  In  Western 
Australia  practitioners,  evidently,  were  not  dismayed  by  the  fact 
that  the  native  oil  failed  to  reach  the  required  standard  for  a 
medicinal  oil,  and  it  has  been  prescribed  in  the  Public  Hospital, 
*From  The  Chemist  and  Druggist,  Feb.  26,  1921. 
