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Olea.-Oils.
Related entries: Olea Infusa (N. F.)-Infused Oils - Index of Oils - Sapo (U. S. 
P.)-Soap
Other tomes: Cook (volatile oils) - Cook (fixed oils) - Potter (volatile oils) 
- Potter (fixed oils)

The term Oil applies to a number of unctuous bodies not miscible with water, 
from both the vegetable and animal kingdoms, which are fluid at ordinary or 
slightly elevated temperature. When placed upon paper they render it 
translucent, or impart to it a greasy stain. Oils may be conveniently divided, 
with reference to their volatility, into two great classes: Fixed or fatty oils 
and fats, to which also belong the waxes (see Cera), and volatile or essential 
oils. Intermediate between the two, although chemically unlike either, stand 
the mineral oils and mineral waxes, or paraffins (see Petrolatum).

Olea Fixa.-FIXED or FATTY OILS (Olea pinguia). Fixed oils derive their name 
from not being volatilized by the vapors of boiling water. The difference 
between fatty oils and fats is merely one of consistency, the former being 
liquid, the latter solid or semisolid at ordinary temperatures. In the 
vegetable kingdom, fixed oils are mostly derived from the seeds of 
dicotyledonous plants, although monocotyledonous plants, such as the palm 
trees, furnish several of the technically important fixed oils. The oil often 
constitutes a large proportion of the seeds, e. g., not less than 25 per cent 
in linseed, 50 per cent in walnuts, about as much in almonds, as against about 
2 per cent in cereals. It is obtained from the crushed oil-bearing material, 
either by cold or warm pressure, in hydraulic presses, or by extracting with 
such solvents as carbon disulphide, or by boiling the crushed material with 
water, whereby the oil floats on top and may be conveniently collected. The 
residual press-cakes, obtained in the first process (oil cakes), are valuable 
feed material for cattle, since they contain much nitrogenous and fatty matter 
(see table in Prof. S. P. Sadtler's Handbook of Indust. Org. Chem., 2d ed., 
1895, p. 70).

The oils and fats derived from the animal kingdom, are obtained from various 
organs of the animal; thus, bone-oil from bones, by boiling with water, or 
extraction with solvents; neat's-foot oil from the feet of oxen by boiling with 
water; cod-liver oil and shark oil, from the respective livers, by spontaneous 
exudation and gentle expression; tallow and lard from the internal abdominal 
fat of sheep and hogs (see Sevum and Adeps), etc. The crude oils and fats as 
obtained in the manner alluded to, are mostly of a yellow, brown or even black 
color, and frequently require more or less purification. This is often effected 
by mechanical treatment, such as filtration with or without charcoal, etc., but 
more frequently, by chemical processes, especially treatment with 1 or 2 per 
cent of strong sulphuric acid (applicable, for example, to linseed oil), or 
with zinc chloride, or alkalies, tanning materials and oxidizers, such as 
potassium bichromate, hydrogen peroxide, etc.

The fatty oils of marine animals, and those from most vegetable sources, are 
fluid at ordinary temperature; palm oil, cacao-butter, nutmeg butter, cocoanut 
oil, and others, are semisolid like butter. When exposed to cold, fixed oils 
solidify at temperatures varying with the oil. Fatty oils are insoluble in 
water, rendering that fluid milky when agitated with it, but the oil finally 
rises upon the surface; if a mucilaginous substance, or alkaline carbonate be 
added, the oil is prevented from rising., and a permanent milky mixture called 
an emulsion is formed. With the exception of castor oil and croton oil, fatty 
oils are nearly insoluble in cold alcohol. They dissolve readily, however, in 
ether, carbon disulphide, chloroform, benzol, petroleum benzin, amyl alcohol, 
acetone, and oil of turpentine, and freely mix with one another, as well as 
with resins and volatile oils. They are all lighter than water, their specific 
gravities ranging from 0.879 to 0.968. Fatty oils are not volatile as such, but 
can be heated to boiling (at about 315ˇ C., or 600ˇ F.) whereby decomposition 
takes place, acrid fumes of acrolein (see Glycerin) being evolved, together 
with carbonic acid gas, some volatile organic acids and inflammable 
hydrocarbons. Upon condensing the vapors, an empyreumatic oil is obtained. When 
in the state of vapor, fixed oils take fire upon the approach of an ignited 
body; the products of combustion are water and carbonic acid gas.

As to their chemical nature, most fatty oils are mixtures of salts of the 
trivalent alcohol glycerin (C3H5[OH]3), with the saturated palmitic (C16H32O2) 
and stearic acids (C18H36O2), both higher homologues of acetic acid, of the 
general formula CnH2nO2, and the unsaturated oleic acid (C18H34O2), which 
represents the series CnH2n-2O2. The salts are called glycerin esters, or 
glycerides, and are known respectively as palmitin, stearin, and olein. The 
former two are solid and preponderate in solid fats-e. g., lard-while olein is 
liquid and predominates in liquid fats-e.g., olive oil and almond oil. The 
solid and liquid constituents of a fatty oil are frequently separated by 
subjecting the oil to hydraulic pressure at about the temperature of melting 
ice. Olive oil, for example, is differentiated into a purified olive oil and 
solid olive oil stearin, lard into lard oil and lard stearin, sperm oil (from 
the head of Physeter macrocephalus) into purified sperm oil and solid 
spermaceti (see Cetaceum), etc. In some fats-e. g., butter-part of the fatty 
acid is replaced by lower fatty acids-e. g., butyric, or in porpoise oil, by 
valerianic acid-both occurring as glycerin esters, butyrin, valerin, 
respectively (see also Glycerin and Adeps). In drying oils (see below), oleic 
acid is in part replaced by the still more unsaturated linoleic acid (C16H28O2 
of the type CnH2n-4O2), the chief constituent of linseed oil, which is the type 
of drying oils. The waxes have an analogous, yet different composition (see 
Cera and Cetaceum). The presence of certain albuminous matters in fatty oils, 
and other causes as well, often induce the liberation of free fatty acid, 
especially the ill-smelling lower volatile acids. Thus butyric acid is formed 
in old butter, causing what is known as rancidity. Olive oil, palm oil, etc., 
are also liable to become rancid with age. Oils which have a tendency to 
liberate free fatty acids are undesirable for lubricating purposes. Neat's-foot 
oil hardly possesses this tendency. Mineral oils (see Petrolatum) are now 
frequently employed as lubricants, owing to their indifferent chemical nature.

When fatty oils and fats are treated with caustic alkalies, they are decomposed 
(saponified) into glycerin and the alkali salts of the fatty acids that were 
combined with glycerin. These alkali salts are called soaps, and the process is 
that of saponification. Analogous decomposition may also be effected by means 
of caustic lime, or oxides of heavy metals (see Emplastrum Plumbi), or by 
superheated steam (see Glycerinum and Sapo). For analytical purposes, this 
reaction is likewise of great importance. Since each ester requires a definite 
amount of caustic potash solution for saponification, values expressing the 
number of grammes of the fat or oil which are saponifiable by one 
gramme-equivalent of the caustic alkali employed, have been obtained for all 
fatty oils and waxes (Koettstorfer's Saponification Equivalent). The values 
obtained present some striking differences in various classes of oils, and may 
serve as useful guides in the detection of adulterations by certain oils. Thus, 
paraffin oils, on account of being hydrocarbons, are unaffected by caustic 
alkali, and, if mixed with fatty oils, will raise the saponification equivalent 
of the latter upon saponification of the oil. Washing out the soap with water 
will allow of the recovery of the admixed paraffin oil (see table and comment, 
by A. H. Allen, Commercial Organic Analysis, Vol. II, Part I, 3d ed., 
Philadelphia, 1899, pp. 53-58, and p.111). An additional important analytical 
method is based upon the absorption of bromine (Mills) or iodine (Hźbl) by the 
different oils when they are in contact with solutions of these elements. Oils 
in which the glycerides of saturated acids (carbon atoms united by single 
bonds) dominate, as, for example, cocoanut oil, absorb much smaller quantities 
of halogens than those oils containing a highly unsaturated fatty acid (with 
two pairs of carbon atoms united by double bonds)-e. g., the glyceride of 
linoleic acid, the chief constituent of linseed oil. (For details, see A. H. 
Allen, loc. cit., pp. 62-66; and S. P. Sadtler, loc. cit., 2d ed., 1895, pp. 78 
and 79.)

Parallel with their capacity for absorbing halogens, runs the well-known 
quality of fatty oils to absorb oxygen by prolonged exposure to the air, and to 
become more or less dry and solid. Accordingly, fatty oils are differentiated 
into drying oils and non-drying oils. The type of drying oils is linseed oil, 
and of the non-drying, olive oil (see enumeration of both classes of oils in 
the table subjoined).

Drying oils are also characterized by not yielding solid ela•din when treated 
with nitrous acid in form of gas or in solution, while non-drying oils by 
virtue of their olein contents, when treated with nitrous acid gradually become 
a hard mass of ela•din, an isomer of olein (compare Acidum Oleicum). (For a 
special description of the more important oils, see the authorities quoted; the 
pharmacopoeial oils are described under their respective headings.)

The following general classification of the fatty oils and waxes is adapted 
from A. H. Allen (Commercial Organic Analysis, 3d ed., Philadelphia, 1899, Vol. 
II, Part I, p. 88; and S. P. Sadtler, Handbook of Indust. Org. Chem., 2d ed., 
1895, p. 51):

Classification of Fatty Oils and Waxes.-I. OLIVE-OIL GROUP. Vegetable oleins, 
Vegetable non-drying oils. Lighter than Groups III, IV, and V. Specific 
gravity, 0.914 to 0.920. Yields solid ela•dins with nitrous acid. Moderate 
saponification equivalents and iodine absorptions. Includes olive, almond, 
peach, and earthnut oils.

II. RAPE-OIL GROUP.-All oils from Cruciferae. Less perfectly non-drying oils. 
Yield pasty ela•dins; have higher iodine absorptions and high saponification 
equivalents. Includes oils of rape-seed (colza), cabbage seed, black and white 
mustard.

III. COTTON-SEED OIL GROUP.-Specific gravity, 0.920 to 0.926. Intermediate 
between drying and non-drying oils. Undergo more or less drying on exposure. 
Yield little or no ela•din. Includes oils of cotton-seed, grape-seed, maize, 
sesame, sunflower, hazelnut, and beechnut.

IV. LINSEED-OIL GROUP.-Drying oils. Specific gravity, 0.924 to 0.937. Yield no 
ela•din. Less viscous than the preceding groups. Includes oils of linseed, 
hemp-seed, poppy seed, tobacco seed, niger seed, Scotch fir-seed, and walnut.

V. CASTOR-OIL GROUP.-Medicinal oils. Very viscous and of high specific gravity 
(0.937 to 0.985). Includes castor and croton oils, both distinguished by their 
solubility in alcohol and glacial acetic acid.

VI. PALM-OIL GROUP.-Solid vegetable fats. Do not contain notable quantities of 
esters of lower fatty acids. Includes palm-oil, cacao butter, nutmeg butter, 
bayberry tallow, and shea or galam butter.

VII. COCOANUT-OIL GROUP.-Solid vegetable fats, of high specific gravity and low 
saponification equivalents. Members of sub-group A (cocoanut, palm-kernel, 
laurel, and macassar oils) contain notable proportions of esters of lower fatty 
acids, distilling over in a current of steam. Sub-group B are wax-like and of 
peculiar composition. (Japan wax, Myrtle wax.)

VIII. LARD-OIL GROUP.-Animal oleins. Do not dry notably on exposure, and give 
solid ela•dins with nitrous acid. Not turned brown by boiling with caustic 
alkalies (difference from marine animal oils). Includes neat's-foot oil, bone 
oil, lard oil, and tallow oil.

IX. TALLOW GROUP.-Solid animal fats. Predominantly glycerides of palmitic and 
stearic acids, although butter contains glycerides of lower acids, notably 
butyric acid. Includes tallow (suet), lard, bone fat, wool fat (saint), butter 
fat, oleomargarine, and manufactured stearin.

X. WHALE-OIL GROUP.-Marine animal oils. Offensive fishy odor, especially on 
warming; Reddish-brown color upon warming with caustic alkali. Dries more or 
less upon exposure, and yields but little ela•din. Includes whale, porpoise, 
seal, menhaden, cod-liver, and shark-liver oils.

XI. SPERM-OIL GROUP.-Liquid waxes. Are not glycerides, but are esters of higher 
monatomic alcohols of the methane series. Yield solid ela•dins. Includes sperm 
oil, bottle-nose oil (doegling oil), and dolphin oil.

XII. SPERMACETI GROUP.-Waxes proper. Are esters (organic salts) of higher 
monatomic alcohols with higher fatty acids in free state. Includes spermaceti, 
beeswax, Chinese wax, and carnauba wax.

In the early days of Eclecticism a few plant preparations in which the natural 
oil of the drug was intimately associated with other proximate constituents, 
were introduced under the name oil, and as such are still employed. Among these 
may be named oil of stillingia, oil of capsicum, and oil of lobelia. These 
preparations are made by exhausting the thoroughly dried drug (stillingia root, 
capsicum, and lobelia seed) with official alcohol, and then distilling the 
alcohol until the residue is syrupy. This product in each case is a mixture 
that carries the therapeutical qualities of the drug in a marked degree of 
concentration, but consists largely of foreign substances. The "oil of 
stillingia" is prone to gelatinize, but the others keep fairly well. (Compare 
Oleoresinae.)

Olea Volatilia.-VOLATILE OILS (Essential oils). Volatile oils (essential oils) 
are aromatic liquids of vegetable origin, practically insoluble, or but 
slightly soluble in water, and capable of being distilled with more or less 
facility in the vapors of boiling water, even though their own boiling points 
lie considerably higher. Like fatty oils, they render paper translucent, but 
the oily stain produced gradually disappears upon exposure. With one exception 
(Oil of Aspidium) essential oils have been obtained from phanerogamous plants 
only, in which, as a rule, they occur ready-formed. Some oils, e. g., of bitter 
almond, black mustard, or sweet birch, originate in definite compounds 
contained in the plants (amygdalin, sinigrin, gaultherin respectively), and are 
evolved therefrom in the presence of water by the action of certain ferments or 
enzymes (emulsin, myrosin, betulase) that are likewise present.

All parts of a plant, leaves, flowers, fruits, stems, and roots may yield 
essential oils, although the oil is in most cases derived only from one or two 
of these organs. In a few cases, such as Chinese cinnamon (Cassia cinnamon), 
oil of uniform quality may be obtained in fair quantities from various parts of 
the plant, while reversedly, in Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) the 
oils yielded by the bark, the leaves, and the root differ materially in their 
chemical composition.

Some essential oils, e. g., of bitter orange, oil of lemon, etc. (which see), 
are prepared by expressing the rind of the fruit containing the oil. Certain 
oils used in perfumery which are sensitive to heat, e. g., the odoriferous 
principles of hyacinth, jasmine, etc., are obtained by maceration, especially 
by abstracting the aroma by means of liquid fats or semisolid paraffins 
(enfleurage). Again, synthetic oils, such as artificial methyl salicylate, are 
obtained by laboratory processes which are briefly described under their 
respective headings. All other oils are obtained by distillation with the 
vapors of boiling water. Directions for the pharmaceutical preparation of 
essential oils were given by the older pharmacopoeias, for example, the 
Edinburgh and the Dublin Pharmacopoeias (see this Dispensatory, preceding 
editions).

The technical preparation of essential oils in the different countries 
producing them is carried out by distilling the oil from the oil-bearing 
material, mixed with water, by means of steam, which either runs into the 
material direct, or is applied to the vessel externally by in means of a 
steam-jacket. In some cases (e.g., eucalyptus oils) the oil-bearing material is 
deprived of its oil by direct steam without previous maceration. Rectification 
of the crude oils thus obtained is effected by fractional distillation either 
at atmospheric pressure, or, if decomposition is to be feared, at reduced 
pressure, whereby the boiling point is lowered.

The advances made within comparatively recent years in the theoretical study of 
essential oils has been the cause of a simultaneous development of this branch 
of chemical industry. By operating upon the basis of exact physical and 
chemical investigation, the manufacture of essential oils has been carried to a 
degree of refinement well illustrated by the classical work now before us, Die 
Aetherischen Oele, by E. Gildemeister and Frederick Hoffmann, published within 
recent months by Messrs. Schimmel & Co., of Leipzig. We are greatly indebted to 
this invaluable work, which we freely consulted in the preparation of this 
paper, but which, in its complete form, should be in the hands of every 
pharmacist.

Most essential oils are colorless or yellowish, although some are greenish or 
bluish-green, while others, like oil of thyme, soon acquire a dark red-brown 
color. Some oils deposit a crystalline body upon standing, often called a 
stearopten or camphor; the fluid portion being termed an elaeopten. Such 
deposits are formed, for example, in the oils of neroli, chamomile, matico 
leaves (Flźckiger's matico camphor), elecampane (alant camphor), etc. Other 
oils produce crystalline deposits at low temperatures, e.g., anise oil deposits 
anethol, American peppermint oil menthol; Japanese peppermint oil is a 
semisolid mixture of menthol and liquid oil.

The specific gravities of essential oils vary more than those of fatty oils. 
While all of the latter class are lighter than water, a number of essential 
oils, such as those of bitter almond, cassia, cinnamon, cloves, sassafras, 
mustard, and wintergreen, are heavier than water. The specific gravities vary 
from 0.800 for oil of heracleum and 0.833 for oil of rue, to 1.187 for oil of 
wintergreen. All essential oils are soluble in absolute alcohol, ether, 
chloroform, benzene, benzol, carbon disulphide, etc.; most of them also form 
clear solutions with weaker alcohol, of even as low strength as 70 per cent by 
volume. This property assists us in recognizing many adulterations, e. g., 
mineral oils and most fatty oils. An important agency in the identification of 
an essential oil consists in its behavior toward a ray polarized light, which 
is determined by means of polarimeters (polariscopes). (See article on "The 
Polarimeter and Its Use in Pharmacy," by Dr. Charles Symes, in Amer. Jour. 
Pharm., 1880, p. 44, where there is also appended a list of specific gravities 
and optical rotations for a number of essential oils.)

Most essential oils readily undergo a change in color, consistency, and 
composition if exposed to air and light, and gradually change in odor; hence 
the necessity of keeping them in well-stoppered bottles, preferably of amber 
color, protected from air and light. The constituents of essential oils are of 
a far greater variety than those of fatty oils, and may be conveniently classed 
as follows (adapted from the work above quoted):

1. HYDROCARBONS.-Paraffins (CnH2n+2), and olefines (unsaturated paraffins 
CnH2n-4) are sometimes found in essential oils, such as arnica flowers, 
matricaria (matricaria-camphor), oil of bay (myrcen, C10H16), etc. Other 
hydrocarbons of occasional occurrence are para cymol (C10H14) in oil of thyme, 
etc., and styrol (C6H5.CH:CH2) in oil of storax. By far the most important 
essential oil hydrocarbons are those known as the TERPENES. They are isomers of 
the formula C10H16, unsaturated, boiling between 150ˇ and 180ˇ C. (302ˇ and 
356ˇ F.) They are optically dextro- or laevo-rotatory, or inactive, and 
comprise the following: (1) Pinene; (2) camphene, solid, melting at 50ˇ C. 
(122ˇ F.); (3) fenchene; (4) limonene; (5) dipentene; (6) sylvestrene; (7) 
terpinene; (8) phellandrene.

SESQUITERPENES are hydrocarbons of the formula C15H24; they boil between 250ˇ 
and 280ˇ C. (482ˇ and 536ˇ F.); their specific gravity is above 0.90; they 
comprise: (1) cadinene; (2) caryophyllene; (1) humulene; (4) cedrene, etc.

POLYTERPENES.-Diterpenes and triterpenes, boiling above 300ˇ C. (572ˇ F.). They 
have been little investigated.

The following classes comprise substances which constitute the characteristic 
odoriferous principles of the oils in which they occur:

II. ALCOHOLS.-(1) hexyl- (C6H13OH) and octyl-alcohol (C8H17OH) in heracleum 
oils; (2) linalool (coriandrol) (C10H18O) in oils of bergamot, coriander, etc.; 
(3) geraniol (rhodinol) (C10H18O) in oils of rose and lemon grass; (4) 
citronellol (C10H20O), in oils of geranium and rose; (5) terpineol (C10H18O), 
in oils of cajeput and camphor; (6) borneol (C10H18O) in Borneo camphor; (7) 
menthol (C10H20O).

III. ALDEHYDES.-(1) Citral (Geranial) (C10H16O), the aldehyde of geraniol; in 
lemongrass oil; (2) Citronellal (C10H18O), in citronella oil; (3) furfurol 
(C4H4O), in oil of cloves; (4) benzaldehyde (C6H5.CHO), in oils of bitter 
almond and cherry laurel; (5) salicylic aldehyde (C6H4OH.CHO), in spiraea oil; 
(6) anis-aldehyde (C6H4.OCH3.CHO), in old anise oil; (7) cumin aldehyde 
(C6H4.C3H7.CHO), in oil of Roman chamomile; (8) vanillin (C6H3.OH.OCH3.CHO); 
(9) heliotropin, in spiraea oil; (10) cinnamic aldehyde (C6H5CH:CH.CHO), in 
cassia and cinnamon oils; (11) ortho-cumar-aldehyde methyl-ether 
(C6H4.OCH3.CH:CH.CHO), in oil of cassia.

IV. KETONES.-(1) Methyl-amyl-ketone (CH3.CO.C5H11), in oil of cloves; (2) 
methyl-heptenone (C8H14O), allied to linalool; (3) carvone (C10H14O), in oil of 
caraway; (4) anis-ketone (C6H4.OCH3.CH2.CO.CH3); (5) Japan camphor (C10H16O) 
(see Camphora); (6) fenchone (C10H16O), liquid, in oil of fennel; (7) thujone 
(tanacetone) (C10H16O), in oil of thuja; (8) pulegone (C10H16O), in oil of 
pennyroyal; (9) menthone (C10H18O), in oil of peppermint; (10) irone (C13H20O), 
in oil of orris root.

V. ACIDS.-Acetic, propionic, butyric, valerianic, tiglinic acids, seldom free, 
mostly as esters, combined with higher alcohols. Furthermore, benzoic, 
salicylic, and cinnamic acids. LACTONES.-coumarin and hydrocoumarin, 
alanto-lactone (helenin) in oil of elecampane; OXIDES.-Cineol (eucalyptol) 
C10H18), occurring in many oils, especially from Artemisia cina, cajeput and 
eucalyptus.

VI. PHENOLS and PHENOL-ETHERS.-(1) Vanillin; (2) anethol; (3) para-cresol 
methyl-ether (C6H4.CH3.OCH3), in ylang-ylang oil; (4) carvacrol (iso-propyl 
ortho-cresol), in oil of Monarda fistulosa, etc.; (5) thymol (iso-propyl 
meta-cresol), in oil of thyme, etc.; (6) chavicol (para-allyl-phenol), in Java 
betel-leaf oil, and oil of bay; (7) methyl-chavicol, in anise oil; (8) eugenol 
(allyl-guaiacol) (C6H3.C3H5.OCH3OH), in oil of cloves; (9) safrol (C10H10O2), 
in sassafras and camphor oils; (10) asaron (C12H16O3), in oil of Asarum 
europaeum; (11) apiol (C12H14O4), from oil of parsley.

VII. MUSTARD OILS.-Contain sulphur compounds.

The more important of these constituents will be briefly described under the 
oils wherein they chiefly occur. Since the chemical nature of essential oils is 
in many cases well-defined, it often permits of a more or less exact 
quantitative determination of their characteristic constituents. Thus, esters, 
e. g., linaloyl acetate in oil of bergamot, may be determined by their 
saponification value (compare Fatty Oils; also see Cera); certain aldehydes, e. 
g., cinnamic aldehyde in oil of cassia, by means of the crystalline compounds 
they form with sodium bisulphite; phenols, e. g., eugenol in Ceylon cinnamon 
oil, by the loss of volume which the oil incurs by being shaken with solution 
of caustic potash. An interesting analytical method, applicable to oils 
containing an alkyl-oxy-group (e. g., methoxy, OCH3) as anethol in anise oil 
(which see), consists in determining the methyl-number, i. e., the number of 
milligrammes of methyl that is split off when 1 gramme of oil is boiled with 
hydriodic acid (measured by the amount of silver iodide that is precipitated 
when the vapors of the methyl iodide formed are conducted into an alcoholic 
solution of silver nitrate). Since alcohol also gives a methyl-number when 
subjected to this reaction, the latter may serve as a good test for alcohol in 
such oils as do not contain a methoxy-group, and consequently do not yield a 
methyl number, as bitter almond, bergamot, caraway, lemon, cubeb, eucalyptus, 
lavender, peppermint oils, etc.

Owing to their high price, essential oils are frequently subject to 
adulteration. If a few drops of the oil in question be placed on filtering 
paper, the odor will sometimes indicate impurities. An addition of alcohol 
reduces the specific gravity of the oil. Larger quantities may be recognized by 
shaking out with water, distilling the aqueous liquid and testing the 
distillate for alcohol by the iodoform test, viz., by warming with sodium 
carbonate and iodine, whereby iodoform is precipitated. Or, shaking the oil 
with dry chloride of calcium (Borsarelli), or acetate of potassium (J. J. 
Bernoulli), will separate the alcohol from the essential oil. Oil of turpentine 
is the adulterant most frequently used. It may often be recognized by its odor. 
Its presence affects the specific gravity and the solubility of the oil in 70 
per cent alcohol. Its chief constituent being pinene, the presence of this body 
in oils not naturally containing it, proves the presence of turpentine. 
Addition of fatty oils to essential oils may be recognized by a permanent 
greasy stain they leave on paper, upon prolonged exposure. Their presence may 
also be detected by distilling the essential oil with the vapors of boiling 
water, and heating a portion of the residue on platinum foil, or in a dry 
test-tube with acid potassium sulphate, whereby the irritant vapors of acrolein 
are evolved. Treatment with 70 per cent alcohol, in which all fatty oils, 
including castor oil, are insoluble, will also reveal their presence in many 
Oils. Mineral Oils (petroleum) are easily separated and recognized by reason of 
their insolubility in alcohol, their low specific gravity, and their inability 
to saponify with alkalies. Some essential oils as stated above, contain small 
quantities of paraffins as regular constituents. Oils of cedar, copaiba, and 
gurjun balsam, are also used as adulterants of essential oils, and are detected 
with difficulty. They dissolve with difficulty in alcohol of 70 to 90 per cent, 
are strongly laevo-rotatory, and boil at temperatures above 250ˇ C. (482ˇ F.).


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  1.. Olea Infusa (N. F.)-Infused Oils. 
  2.. Oleum Adipis (U. S. P.)-Lard Oil. 
  3.. Oleum Aethereum (U. S. P.)-Ethereal Oil. 
  4.. Oleum Amygdalae Amarae (U. S. P.)-Oil of Bitter Almond. (volatile) 
  5.. Oleum Amygdalae Expressum (U. S. P.)-Expressed Oil of Almond. (fixed) 
  6.. Oleum Anethi.-Oil of Dill. (volatile) 
  7.. Oleum Anisi (U. S. P.)-Oil of Anise. (volatile) 
  8.. Oleum Anthemidis.-Oil of Chamomile. (volatile) 
  9.. Oleum Aurantii Corticis (U. S. P.)-Oil of Orange Peel. (volatile) 
  10.. Oleum Aurantii Florum (U. S. P.)-Oil of Orange Flowers. (volatile) 
  11.. Oleum Bergamottae (U. S. P.)-Oil of Bergamot. (volatile) 
  12.. Oleum Betulae Volatile (U. S. P.)-Volatile Oil of Betula. (volatile) 
  13.. Oleum Cadinum (U. S. P.)-Oil of Cade. 
  14.. Oleum Cajuputi (U. S. P.)-Oil of Cajuput. (Tea tree oil) (volatile) 
  15.. Oleum Cari (U. S. P.)-Oil of Caraway. (volatile) 
  16.. Oleum Caryophylli (U. S. P.)-Oil of Cloves. (volatile) 
  17.. Oleum Chenopodii (U. S. P.)-Oil of Chenopodium. (volatile) 
  18.. Oleum Cinnamomi (U. S. P.)-Oil of Cinnamon. (volatile) 
  19.. Oleum Cocos.-Cocoanut Oil. (fixed) 
  20.. Oleum Copaibae (U. S. P.)-Oil of Copaiba. (volatile) 
  21.. Oleum Coriandri (U. S. P.)-Oil of Coriander. (volatile) 
  22.. Oleum Cubebae (U. S. P.)-Oil of Cubebs. (volatile) 
  23.. Oleum Erechtitis.-Oil of Fireweed. (volatile) 
  24.. Oleum Erigerontis (U. S. P.)-Oil of Erigeron. (volatile) 
  25.. Oleum Eucalypti (U. S. P.)-Oil of Eucalyptus. (volatile) 
  26.. Oleum Foeniculi (U. S. P.)-Oil of Fennel. (volatile) 
  27.. Oleum Gaultheriae (U. S. P.)-Oil of Gaultheria. (volatile) 
  28.. Oleum Gossypii Seminis (U. S. P.)-Cotton-Seed Oil. (fixed) 
  29.. Oleum Hedeomae (U. S. P.)-Oil of Hedeoma. (volatile) 
  30.. Oleum Juniperi (U. S. P.)-Oil of Juniper. (volatile) 
  31.. Oleum Juniperi Virginianae.-Oil of Cedar. (volatile) 
  32.. Oleum Lavandulae Florum (U. S. P.)-Oil of Lavender Flowers. (volatile) 
  33.. Oleum Limonis (U. S. P.)-Oil of Lemon. (volatile) 
  34.. Oleum Lini (U. S. P.)-Linseed Oil. (fixed) 
  35.. Oleum Menthae Piperitae (U. S. P.)-Oil of Peppermint. (volatile) 
  36.. Oleum Menthae Viridis (U. S. P.)-Oil of Spearmint. (volatile) 
  37.. Oleum Monardae.-Oil of Horsemint. (volatile) 
  38.. Oleum Morrhuae (U. S. P.)-Cod-Liver Oil. (fixed) 
  39.. Oleum Myrciae (U. S. P.)-Oil of Myrcia. (volatile) 
  40.. Oleum Myristicae (U. S. P.)-Oil of Nutmeg. (volatile) 
  41.. Oleum Myristicae Expressum.-Expressed Oil of Nutmeg. 
  42.. Oleum Olivae.-Olive Oil. (fixed) 
  43.. Oleum Origani.-Oil of Origanum. (volatile) 
  44.. Oleum Palmae.-Palm Oil. (fixed) 
  45.. Oleum Picis Liquidae (U. S. P.)-Oil of Tar. (volatile) 
  46.. Oleum Pimentae (U. S. P.)-Oil of Pimenta. (volatile) 
  47.. Oleum Pini Sylvestris.-Fir-Leaf Oil. (volatile) 
  48.. Oleum Ricini (U. S. P.)-Castor Oil. (fixed) 
  49.. Oleum Rosae (U. S. P.)-Oil of Rose. (volatile) 
  50.. Oleum Rosmarini (U. S. P.)-Oil of Rosemary. (volatile) 
  51.. Oleum Rutae.-Oil of Rue. (volatile) 
  52.. Oleum Sabinae (U. S. P.)-Oil of Savine. (volatile) 
  53.. Oleum Santali (U. S. P.)-Oil of Santal. (volatile) 
  54.. Oleum Sassafras (U. S. P.)-Oil of Sassafras. (volatile) 
  55.. Oleum Sesami (U. S. P.)-Oil of Sesamum. (fixed) 
  56.. Oleum Sinapis Volatile (U. S. P.)-Volatile Oil of Mustard. (volatile) 
  57.. Oleum Succini.-Oil of Amber. 
  58.. Oleum Tanaceti.-Oil of Tansy. (volatile) 
  59.. Oleum Terebinthinae Rectificatum (U. S. P.)-Rectified Oil of Turpentine. 
  60.. Oleum Theobromatis (U. S. P.)-Oil of Theobroma. (fixed) 
  61.. Oleum Thymi (U. S. P.)-Oil of Thyme. (volatile) 
  62.. Oleum Tiglii (U. S. P.)-Croton Oil. (fixed) 
  63.. Oleum Valerianae.-Oil of Valerian. (volatile) 



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