Chemistry of Essential Oils

258 THE CHEMISTRY OF ESSENTIAL OIL3

He found in it from 30 to 40 per cent, of carvacrol, and traces of another

phenol. Two hydrocarbons at least are present, probably cymene and

a terpene. A sample examined by Schimmel & Co. had a specific gravity

•939 and optical rotation — 2° 35'. It was soluble in 4*5 volumes of 70

per cent, alcohol, and contained 65 per cent, of phenols. Two samples

distilled in the South of France, and examined by Schimmel & Co., had

the following characters :—

1. 
   
   
   
   2. Specific gravity 0-908 0-919
      Optical rotation - 1° 42' - 4° 48'
      Refractive index 1-4949 —
      The oil of the summer savory, S&tureja hortensis, does not differ
      greatly from that of the winter savory. It has the following char-
      acters :—
      Specific gravity 0-900 to 0*933
      Optical rotation + 0° 4' „ - 1°
      Phenols - 35 to 45 per cent.
      An oil examined by Jahns, having a specific gravity 0-898, was found
      to contain 30 per cent, of carvacrol, with traces of a second phenol,
      cymene, and one or more terpenes.
      Sottureja. cuneifolia, a plant grown on the Dalmatian Islands, yields
      an oil which has been examined by Schimmel & Co.
      1
      Four samples had
      the following characters :—
      Spesific gravity. Rotation. Refractive Index. Phenols.
      0-9182 - 4° 45' 1-4382 23 psr cent.
   
   
   
   

• 09190 - 5° 15' 1-4982 34 „
  0-9444 - 2° 15' 1-4053 59
  0-9444 - 1°50' 1-4056 59
  Carvacrol and cymene are the principal constituents of the oil.
  Saturejoi thymbra yields an essential oil having the following char-
  acters :—
  Specific gravity 0905
  Thymol about 20 per cent.
  Pinene, cymene, dipentene, and bornyl acetate are also present in
  the oil.
  Szturjja Gal&minthi (Cal&mintha nepeta).—-A number of oils have
  been described under this name, but in most cases the botanical source
  was not traced with certainty. A sample of absolute authenticity has
  been examined by Boure-Bertrand Fils,
  2
  who reported on the oil as
  , follows: the plants yielded 014:26 per cent, of essential oil, and were
  grown in Sicily. The odour of the oil, which is brownish in colour, re-
  cills that of pennyroyal. The oil had the following characters:—
  Specific gravity at 15° G 0-9249
  Optical rotation + 17° 48'
  ,, „ of the acetylated oil.... + 9° 40'
  Acid value 1-4
  Coefficient of saponification 12-6
  Esters (as menthol acetate) 4-4 per cent.
  Coefficient of saponification of the acetylated oil.. 485
  Total alcohols (as menthol) 14-0 per cent.
  Soluble in 0'5 volume and over of 80 per cent, alcohol
  ,, „ 2 volumes of 75 per cent, alcohol, then slight opalescence
  „ , 3 ., „ 70 „ „ „ cloudy

(^1) Bericht, October, 1911, 108. * Bulletin, October, 1912, 68.