Chemistry of Essential Oils

484 THE CHEMISTEY OF ESSENTIAL OILS

week during the day, and brought to the factories in the evening. Each
full-grown tree will produce about 2 Ib. of flowers.
The essential oil has the following characters :—
Specific gravity 1040 to 10580
Refractive index 15133 „ 1-5150
Solidifying-point ........ About 18°
Optical rotation 0° to - 1
°
Acid value 25 ,,25 „ 425
Ester ,„114 ,, 229
The following substances have been detected in cassie oil: farnesol,.
geraniol, linalol, benzyl alcohol, methyl salicylate, decylic, cuminic and
anisic aldehydes, and a ketone having a violet odour.

OIL OF BALSAM OF PEKU.
Balsam of Peru is the balsamic, oleo-resinous exudation of the Legu-
minous tree Myroxylon Balsamum (var. p-Pereira}.
The essential oil obtained from the balsam is a highly aromatic,,
viscous liquid, having the following characters :—

Specific gravity.

Optical rotation.

Refractive index

Acid value.

Ester.

1*100 to 1*125

+ 0° 30' to + 3°

1-5710 to 1-5800

25 „ 48

200 „ 254

This oil consists principally of benzyl cinnamate and benzyl benzoate,

with a small amount of free benzoic and cinnamic acids. Dihydro-

benzoic acid is also probably present in the form of esters. Cinnamia

alcohol, vanillin, and farnesol are also present in very small amoilnt.

Thorns has isolated an alcohol^1 from Peru balsam oil, which he

termed peruviol. This body was stated to have powerful antiseptic pro-

perties, but has not been further investigated until Schimmel & Co. took

up the subject. The sample of oil upon which they have worked had the

following characters : Specific gravity, 1*1200 ; optical rotation, + 0° 55';

refractive index, 1*57177; acid value, 36*4; and ester value, 228*2. The

oil after saponification was fractionated, and after benzyl alcohol had

distilled over, a light oil with characteristic balsamic odour passed over.

It boiled at 125° to 127° at 4 mm., and had a specific gravity, 0*8987;

optical rotation, + 12° 22'; and refractive index, 1*48982. This body

appeared to be identical with Hesse's nerolidol, whilst in physical and

chemical properties it closely resembles Thorns' peruviol. The characters

of the various preparations were as follows :— i ,

Peruviol (Thorns)

Schimmers body, 1.

» 2.

Nerolidol (Hesse)

,, (Schimmel)

Specific Gravity.

0-886

0*882

0-899

0*880

0*880

Rotation.

+ 13°

+ 14°

+ 12°

+ 14°

+ 13°

Refractive Index.

1*4898

1-4802

It proved that the impure alcohol isolated from balsam of Peru was,

in fact, identical with nerolidol. When allowed to stand for three to

lArch. der Pharm., 237 (1R99), 271.