262 THE CHBMISTEY OF ESSENTIAL OILS
A sample of oil from Ocimum gratissimum distilled in the Seychelles l
had a specific gravity 0'995, optical rotation - 14-1°, and refractive
index 1-5260 at 21°.
The essential oil from the leaves of Ocimum viride from Sierra Leone
has been examined by Goulding and Pelly.
2
The oil had a specific gravity
0-9115 and optical rotation + 1° 30'. By distillation at atmospheric
pressure the following fractions were obtained :—
Boiling-point. Per Cent. Specific Gravity. Rotation.
165 ° to 180° 25 0-8614 + 0° 33'
180° „ 200° 20 0-8804 + 1° 40'
200° „ 220° 20 0-9164 + 2° 38'
220° „ 235° 20 0'9548 + 3° 38'
235° ,, 250° 10 09565 + 5° 14'
It is obvious, however, from an examination of the average optical
rotations of the fractions as compared with that of the original oil, that
decomposition had gone on during the distillation. The authors found
present 32 to 65 per cent, of phenols, 40 per cent, of alcohols, 2 per cent, of
esters, and one or more terpenes. Two samples from the Seychelles
had specific gravities 0924 and 0942; and contained 52 per cent, and
62 per cent, of phenols, mostly thymol.
Bacon
3
has examined the oil from Ocimum sanctum, which he ob-
tained to the extent of 06 per cent, from the leaves, and which had the
following characters:—
Specific gravity jjJJ,^0 0'952
Optical rotation 0°
Refractive index at 30° 1-5070
Saponincation value ......... 2'8
Methyl-chavicol, cineol, and linalol are present in the oil.
Bhaduri
4
has examined the oil of Ocimum pilosum. The whole
plant when fresh is fragrant, but quickly loses its odour when dried.
The seeds form a gelatinous mass when steeped in water; this mucilage
is employed medicinally in India. The green seeds contain more
essential oil than the leaves, but the whole plant was distilled. The oil
obtained was pale yellow in colour and very mobile. Its characters were
as follows:—
Specific gravity 0-887 at 25°
Optical rotation - 3-7°
Befractive index 1-4843 at 24-5°
It contains limonene, citral, citronellal, cineol, and a little thymolr
as well as other undetermined phenolic constituents. Unlike other
Indian basil oils, it contained no methyl-chavicol.
OILS OF MOSLA.The Japanese plant Mosla Japonica yields about 2 per cent, of
essential oil containing 44 per cent, of thymol. Its specific gravity ia
about 0*920. Muryama
5
has identified thymol, carvacrol, and pinene
in the oil.
Hoshino 6 states that although thymol and carvacrol are constituents
of the oil, they are never found together in the same oil. A thymol
containing oil had the following characters :—
"""" i Bull. Imp. Inst., xvi., I, 30.1. 2 Ibid., 6 (1908), 209.
» 5 Philipp. Jour. Sci., 5 (1910), 261. • 4 J. Amer. Chem. Soc. (1914), 36, 1772.
Pharm. Zentral. 51 (1910), 35. • J. Chem. 2nd. Tokyo (1919), 22, 557.