MYRICACE,E 119
MYRICACE^;.
OIL OF BAYBEREY.The leaves of the Bayberry, or wax myrtle, Myrica cerifera, yield
about 002 to 005 per cent, of an essential oil having the following
characters:—l
Specific gravity 0-9168
Optical rotation - 1° 30'
Refractive index 1-4945 at 25°
Acid value 35
Ester „ 21
„ „ (after acetylation) 58
The oil was soluble in 0*5 volume of 90 per cent, alcohol, the solu-
tion becoming turbid upon the addition of 2 volumes or more.
This oil had previously been described as having a specific gravity
of about 0
- 885 and an optical rotation — 5°. It is doubtful, however,
whether these figures were obtained on a pure sample.
The leaves of the so-called Bog Myrtle, Myrica gale, which (as is
the case with Myrica cerifera) must not be confused with the true
Myrtle (q.v.), also yield an essential oil in small quantity. According
to an early investigation by Eabenhorst,
2
the oil had a specific gravity
of 0876 and was a solid mass at 125°. The more recent investigations
of Laloue,
3
however, would indicate that, as is true of many of the early
investigations of essential oils, the material investigated was impure.
Laloue obtained about 0*045 per cent, of oil having the following char-
acters :—
Specific gravity 08984 at 25°
Optical rotation - 5° 16'
Acid value 35
Ester value ......... 15'5
„ ,, (after acetylation) 6 02
The oil was soluble in half its volume of 90 per cent, alcohol. On
cooling it becomes turbid at 5°, but does not completely solidify at — 17°.
The oil has also been investigated by Pickles.
4
He obtained 0076
per cent, of oil from a mixture of fresh leaves and twigs, and 0*203 per
cent, from the dried leaves. The oils had the following characters:—
Fresh Dried
Leaves. Leaves.
Specific gravity... 0*915 0'912
Optical rotation - 5° 17' - 11
°
26'
Acid value 7-0 4- 0
Ester „.24-7 19
- 2
„ ,, (after acetylation .... —• 564
Enklaar^5 has examined the oil from the flower spikes of Myrica
Gale. He obtained about 05 per cent, of oil having a specific gravity
0*899 and optical rotation - 5° 36'. The lowest boiling fractions con-
tained pinene ; but whether a- or /2-pinene, Enklaar was unable to dis-
tinguish. It would appear that the oil contains d-a-phellandrene
1
3 Babak, Midland Drug and Pharm. Bev , 45 (1911), 484.
3 Report Pharm.,^60 (1837), 214.
Bulletin, Roure-Bertrand Fils, April, 1910^ 54.
* Jour. Chem. Soc.t 99 (1911), 1764.
5
Chem. Weekblad, 9 (1912), 1