Chemistry of Essential Oils

LAUKACEjE 171

mint-like odour boiling at 220°, of specific gravity 0*858 and optical

rotation - 37°. Its formula is C 10 H 14 O, and Power has named it

umbellulone; (6) a small quantity of safrol ; (7) 10 per cent, of eugenol

methyl ether.

The ketone umbellulone is a liquid, which when purified by re-

generation from its semicarbazide-semicarbazone has the following

characters:—

Specific gravity 0-950 at 20°

Optical rotation - 36° 30'

Refractive index 1-48325

Boiling-point 219° to 220° at 749 mm.

It forms a semicarbazide-semicarbazone and a normal semicarbazone

the former melting at over 200° and the latter at 240° to 243°. It forms

a dibromide melting at 119°.

OIL OF LAUREL LEAVES.

The leaves of the sweet bay, Laurus nobilis, yield from 1 to 3 per

cent, of essential oil, having an odour somewhat recalling that of caju-

put. The oil has the following characters :—

0-915 to 0-945 (usually 0 915 to 0*930)

• 15° to - 22°
  1-4670 „ 1-4775
  1 „ 3
  20 „ 50
  36 „ 96

Specific gravity.

Optical rotation.

Refractive index.

Acid value ....

Ester „

„ „ (after acetylation)

The oil is soluble in 1 to 3 volumes of 80 per cent, alcohol. Some

oils, French oils especially, are soluble in 3 to 10 volumes of 70 per cent.

alcohol.

The following table, showing the characters of oils distilled in various

districts, is due to Schimmel & Co.::—

^LAI**^ a n a n ^ 1

VjoiUlctH allU 1

*HVam nil \

r rencn i

I

Fiume

Corfu. .{(0-91

Cyprus

Palestine J

Asia Minor.

Dalmatia.

Syria

^15°.

0-915

to

0-932

0-9281

0-9177

to

0-9211

0-9405

0-916

to

0-924

0-9- 68

0-9268

0-9161

- 15°

to

• 18°


• 13°


• 16°
  to
  -21°

52'

40'

40'

- 5° 40'

- 14°

to

• 21°


• 15°


• 14°


• 14°

50'

36'

20'

WD20°,

1-469

to

1-477

1-47156

1-46862

to

1-47107

1-47372

1-46516

to

1-46575

1-46575

—

•—

Acid

No.

up

to

2-0

1-0

up

to

1-5

1-6

up

to

2-2

0-8

—

—

Ester

No.

28

to

43

31-9

29-8

to

43-8

2to3

21

to

49

34-8

—

—

Ester

No.

after

Acet.

58-3

to

77-7

—

36-2

to

82-5

95-6

43-2

to

81-4

60-1

—

—

1 I J i J J

Solubility.

in 1-3 vol. 80 p.c.

alcohol, some (esp.

French) samples in

3 to 10 vols. 70 p. c.

alcohol.

in 2-5 vols. 70 p. c.

alcohol and more.

in 1 vol. 80 p. c. alco-

hoi, mostly in 3 to 6

vols. 70 p. c. alcohol.

in 2 to 3 vols. 70 p. c.

aicohol and more.

in 1 to 2 vols. 80 p. c.

alcohol, some in 4

to 7 vols. 70 p. c.

alcohol.

in 1 vol. 80 p. c. alco-

hoi and more.

in 2-5 vols. 70 p. c.

alcohol.

in 1 vol. 80 p.c. alcohol.