LABIATE 249
cent.; terpene alcohols, boiling-point 100° to 125° C., about 3'5 per cent.;
and a residue boiling above 125° C. The origanene, oxidised by per-
-oxide of hydrogen, yielded succinic acid.
This Cyprus oil has the following characters:—
Specific gravity. 0*960 to 0'970
Optical rotation + 0° 10' „ + 0° 30'
Phenols (mostly carvacrol).... 70 to 85 per cent.
The oil is soluble in 1 to 3 volumes of 80 per cent, alcohol.
The terpene origanene isolated by Pickles has the following char-
acters :—
Specific gravity.
Optical rotation ....
Refractive index
Melting-point of nitrosochloride
,, ,, nitrol benzylamine
0-847
+ 1°50'
1-4800
91° to 94°
104° „ 105°
Smyrna origanum oil is piincipally the product of Origanum onites
Linn. The yield of oil is about 15 to 25 per cent, of the dried herb.
The oil has the following characters:—
Specific gravity 0'895 to 0-965
Optical rotation - 1° ,, - 15°
Refractive index 1-4950 „ 1-5230
Phenols.... 16 to 75 per cent, (usually 25 to 50 per cent.)
The oil contains carvacrol, some thymol, linalol, cymene, an olepinic
terpene, and probably a-pinene and camphor. Cedrol has been found
by Schimmel & Co. in a sample of the oil, but this may have been an
•oil adulterated with cedar-wood oil.
Syrian origanum oil is principally derived from Origanum maru
Linn. This oil has the following characters:—
Specific gravity 0-930 to 0-960 (rarely higher)
Optical rotation - 0° 50' to + 1° 35'
Phenols 55 to 75 per cent.
It is usually soluble in 3 volumes of 70 per cent, alcohol.
The phenols consist principally of carvacrol.
The principal species used in the distillation of Trieste origanum
-oil is Origanum hirtum Link. The dried herb yields from 2 to & per
•cent, of oil having the following characters :—
Specific gravity 0'940 to 0*980
Optical rotation + 1° „ - 1°
Phenols 60 to 85 per cent.
The oil is soluble in 3 volumes of 70 per cent, alcohols. The
phenols consist almost entirely of carvacrol, and there are also present
oymene and terpenes.
Origanum vulgare yields from 0*1 to 0*5 per cent, of oil having a
specific gravity 0*870 to 0-910, and optical rotation about - 35°. It
contains phenols which have not been carefully investigated.
Origanum Creticum yields an oil having the following characters:—
Specific gravity 0-920
Optical rotation 0°
Phenols 44 per cent., mostly carvacrol
It is soluble in 2 volumes of 80 per cent, alcohol. This oil was dis-
tilled in Sicily, and examined by Umney and Bennett.^1
1
Pha'rm. Jour., 75 (1905), 860.