Chemistry of Essential Oils

(Tuis.) #1

30 THE CHEMISTEY OF ESSENTIAL OILS


Specific gravity 0'860 to 0-866
Optical rotation.+ 34° „ + 47°
Refractive index 1-4670 „ 1-4740
Distillate from 152° to 156° 5 to 10 per cent.
„ 156° „ 160° 80 „ 85

The turpentine oil from Pinus longifolia has recently been examined
by Simonsen.^1 He found present \the following bodies: laevo-a-pinene,
/3-pinene, a new terpene for which he proposes the name d-carene, and a
new sesquiterpene which he terms longifolene. In the previous edition
of this work (p. 28) it was stated that 3-sylvestrene was present in com-
paratively large amount.
It is probable that this is incorrect, but that another terpene has been
mistaken for sylvestrene on account of the fact that by the action of
hydrochloric acid, a molecular rearrangement takes place, with the
formation of sylvestrene hydrochloride. This hydrocarbon is that
isolated by Simonsen and named by him d-carene. It is an oil having
the following characters :—


Specific gravity @ 30°. 0-8586
Refractive Index @ 30° 1-4690
Optical Rotation : + 7-69°
Boiling-point at 705 mm.168° to 169°

It yields sylvestrene hydrochloride when treated with hydrogen chloride
in ethereal solution. It yields a crystalline nitrosate, decomposing at
141-5°.
Its constitution is not yet settled. The sesquiterpene ^-longifolene
boils at 150° to 151° at 36 mm., or at 254° to 256° at 706 mm. Its
specific gravity is 0*9284 at 30°, refractive index, 1-4950 at 30°, and optical
rotation + 42'73°.
It yields a hydrochloride melting at 59° to 60°, and having a specific
rotation + 7*1°. Its hydrobromide melts at 69° to 70°, and its hydrio-
dide at 71°.
The characters of this oil fall within the following limits :—

Specific gravity 0*865 to 0-875
Optical rotation 0° to + 4°
Initial boiling-point 165°

Two samples on fractionation by Eabak^2 and by Schimmel & Co.^3
gave the following results:—

Rabak. Schimmel.
165° to 170° 56 per cent., aD = -2° 33 per cent., aD = - 3° 30'
170° „ 175° 20 „ „ = + 2° 48' 31 „ ,. = + 0° 40
175° ,,180° 9 „ ,,= +6° 50' 14 „ „= + 4° 32'
above 180°. 15 „ „ = + 18° 12' 22 „ „ = + 16° 22'

Austrian turpentine oil is derived principally from Pinus laricio. Its
composition has not been exhaustively studied, but it consists of terpenes
and is similar in composition to French turpentine oil. Its characters
are as follows :—

(^1) Jour. Chem. Soc. (1920), 570.
(^2) Pharm. Rev., 23 (1905), 229. s Report, April, 1906, 63.

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