MYETACB^ 335
the frequent abstraction of part of the eugenol, which is used in the
manufacture of vanillin, or sold as pure eugenol. Absence of turpentine
of petroleum is further ensured by the ready solubility of the oil in 90
per cent, alcohol.
The principal constituent of oil of cloves is the phenol eugenol,
together with about 3 per cent, of aceteugenol (or, according to Spurge,^1
from 7 to 17 per cent.—which is unlikely). The sesquiterpene caryo-
phyllene contributes the principal " neutral" constituent of the oil.
Traces of esters of eugenol, methyl alcohol, furfurol, vanillin, salicylic •
acid, methyl benzoate, amyl-methyl ketone, and heptyl-methyl ketone
have also been detected. The sesquiterpene caryophyllene exists in
both the a- and the /^-modifications. Valeric aldehyde is probably
present in traces.
A series of newly-discovered constituents, present in traces only,
has also been described by H. Masson.^2 These bodies are as follows :
methyl-amyl-carbinol, methyl-heptyl-carbinol, benzyl alcohol, and di-
methyl- furfurol.
A body termed caryophyllin, C 10 H 16 O 4 , has been stated to be present.
3
The oil from clove stems does not differ materially in characters
from that of ordinary cloves. The specific gravity, however, may fall
as low as 1-040. The eugenol-content rarely falls below 85 per cent.
The stem oil has Jbeen found to contain traces of naphthalene, a sesqui-
terpene alcohol, C 15 H 26 O,4 and a crystalline body (C 21 H 30 O) 5
5
(?), melt-
ing at 146°.
The oil from mother-cloves has been examined by Schimmel & Co.,
who found it to have the following characters :—
Specific gravity 1-0933
Optical rotation. - 3° 11'
Refractive index 1-54332
Phenols 88 per cent.
The phenols consisted of a mixture of eugenol and a solid phenol
melting at 44° to 45'5°, and boiling (at 754 mm.) at 309° to 310°.
Clove leaves yield about 4 to 5 per cent, of oil having the following
•characters :—
Specific gravity 1'0320 to 1*067
Optical rotation - 0° 30' to - 2°
Eugenol 75 to 93 per cent.
Refractive index 1-532 to 1-539
OIL OF EUGENIA SMITHII.Dawkins 6 has obtained 0
*
44 per cent, of oil from the leaves of this
tree. It has the following characters :—
(1) (2)
Specific gravity 0'866 0'863
Optical rotation +35° + 34 6°
Refractive index 1-4701 1-4675It contains 80-90 per cent, of d-a-pinene, 4 per cent, of esters, and
3'7 per cent, of alcohols.
1
Pharm. Jour., 70 (1903), 701, 757.
2
3 Comptes rendus,^149 (1909), 630, 795.
5 Monatshefte (1905), 379.^4 Berichte,^45 (1912), 1392.
I6id., 42 (1909), 380, 680.
"Proc. Roy. Soc. Victoria, Chem. Abstracts, (1917), ii. 2715.