Am.jour,  Pharm.  £      Scientific  and  Technical  Abstracts  729 
Oil  of  Wild  Pimento  Leaves. — According  to  Roberts  ("J-  S. 
C.  I,"  192 1,  40,  94)  the  essential  oil  distilled  from  the  leaves  of 
Amomis  jamaicensis  contains  17  per  cent,  of  terpenes,  including  di- 
pentene  and  a-phellandrene,  15  per  cent,  of  eucalyptol,  traces  of 
aldehydes,  38.3  per  cent,  of  alcohols,  principally  /-linalol  with  some 
geraniol,  1.5  per  cent,  of  linalyl  acetate,  and  traces  of  phenols  and 
free  acids.  Sesquiterpenes  are  also  probably  present. — Through  the 
Cheni.  &  Druggist. 
Essential  Oil  of  Juniperus  Taxifolia. — Shinosaki  (Journ. 
Chem.  Jnd.y  Japan,  1921,  24,  202)  has  obtained  0.24  per  cent,  of  a 
pale  green  oil  by  distillation  of  the  leaves  and  twigs  of  Juniperus 
taxifolia,  a  coniferous  plant  growing  in  the  Ogasawara  Islands.  The 
oil  contains  about  50  per  cent,  of  a-pinene,  in  both  the  dextro- 
rotatory and  the  laevorotatory  varieties.  A  second  terpene,  appar- 
ently bicyclic,  is  present,  a  free  alcohol  of  the  formula  C10H18O,  an 
ester,  a  sesquiterpene,  and  a  sesquiterpene  alcohol. — Through  the 
Chem.  &  Druggist. 
Siam  Benzoin. — Reinitzer  (Arch.  Pharm.,  1921,  259-60)  pub- 
lishes further  details  of  his  investigation  of  the  constituents  of  Siam 
benzoin.  Lubanol  benzoate  Ci7H1604  crystallizes  in  plates  melting 
at  72°-73°.  It  becomes  oxidized  by  exposure  to  the  air,  and  then  ex- 
hibits the  series  of  color  changes  which  are  identical  with  those 
shown  by  the  crude  gum  resin  itself.  On  heating,  it  evolves  benzoic 
acid,  and  then  gives  off  an  odor  of  carnations,  and  eventually  of 
guaiacol.  It  is  believed  that  lubanol  is  either  identical  with,  or 
closely  related  to,  coniferyl  alcohol.  This  point  can  only  be  decided 
when  pure  lubanol  itself  is  obtained  in  the  crystalline  condition. — < 
Through  the  Chem.  &  Druggist. 
Oil  of  Ergot. — A  freshly-gathered  sample  of  ergot  from  Ober- 
steiermark  yielded  only  21  per  cent,  of  oil  on  extraction  with  petro- 
leum ether,  the  saponification  value  of  which  was  196.2,  as  compared 
with  the  only  previously  recorded  figure  of  180.  The  neutralization 
value  of  the  insoluble  fatty  acids,  194.8,  and  the  acetyl  saponifica- 
tion value,  248.7,  were  similar  to  those  of  a  sample  that  had  been 
kept  for  ten  years.   The  acetyl  value,  86.6,  was,  however,  higher  in 
