The essential oils. By Horace Finnemore, B.Sc. Pp. xv+880. London: Ernest Benn, Ltd., 1926. Price:...

J t r n . 14, 1027 CHEMISTRY AND IXDUSTRY 3 5

REVIEWS TI1 F: ESSENTIAL 011,s.

Pp. SV+SSO. By ~IOItAC'E P I S S E J I O R E , B.SC.

Ertiest Betiti, Ltd., 102G. Lotitloti : Price: 70s. Iict.

Trcntiscs oii csscntiiil oils iirc oftcti subdivided into tlircc sectioiis, t,lic first bcing dcscriptire of individunl oils, wliilc tlic otliers rlcnl rcspcctivcly wit11 tlic cliciiiistry of the cotnponcnt siibstiiiiccs iititl tlic gencriil iiti:ilyt,ical tiiethotls used in this l)rnticli of orgiiuic cliciiiistry. l l r . I!inucmorc lias cotiibiiicd tliesc t h e nspccts of thc sub- jcct, liis iarrntigcmctit of tlic iiintcrinl beitig bnscd upon tlic hotnnicid systcni of Engler atid Gilg. Tlic clicniistry of thc ititlividual siibstuticcs, together with t,hc iiicthorls itset1 iii their dingnosis niid isolatioti, nrc conseqiictitly tlisciissetl iii a seqwiice wliicli tiiay nppear soiiiewlint iitiitsiinl to tlic cliciiiicnl rcndcr. !l'his nictliod of trciit- tiicitt, Iiowcver, nllo\i-s of a ~vclcoiiic curtxiilniciit of tlic ctiortiioits tiiiiss of t l i i t i i irliicli mist ticccsanrily bc Iiiititlled i n 11 work of tliis kitid. Tit tltc opitiioii of tlic rcvicwr, tlte iiittlior hiis riglit,lp rdriiitict13 iii ii work of oiic voluiiic, frotii eiitcritig into the tlet:iilctl clietnistry o l iiidiridunl sitbstiiticq tlic refercticcs to origitiiil ~ I ~ I ~ I C ~ S Iieitip suW- cicnt i t i most ciiscs to pcrttiit of tltc rently iicqiiisitioti of furtlicr iiifortitiitioti. 'l'lic iitiiilyticiil tlctiiils :ire iilso givcti in it clc:ir, cottcisc atid satisfnctory tiintiiicr. !l'lic test giveti 011 IJ. 573, Iio\\*e\~cr, is tiot ticccssiirily ititlirii- t i w of tltc prc;icticv of I - (or d-)x-~~ltclliitidrettc i u eucii- Iyptiis or otlier oils, iitilcss tlic piirc a-tiitrosite-li1i\~iti~ tii.1). 121--12Y, i~tid L K ] ~ > &l40" to & l B O o iti cliloro- foriti idtcr five iiiitiittcs-c:tti be isolatctl by frrict.iotrii1 crystiillinntioti from thc crittlc protltict of tltc renetion.

111 all, tlic work cotitnitis iiccoittits of :ibont 2000 cssc'ii- t,icil oils. The (Iescriptiotts of tlic tiiorc iiiiportiiiit oils cotit,iiiii rlctails of cultiviitioti, siil~sequctit trcnt.iiiciit, pltysicnl ~ L I I ~ clictiiiciil cliiirnctcristics, iiiiiilysis ittid IISCJ ; stiitistics iirc i i lso frecly clitotctl in illiistrntiitg their ccotiotiiic \.iiliic. Ati;ilyscs of t~tntcriiil froiii \virions lociilitics i irc oftctt given, iitid the iiiitltor tlisciisscs iiioro Itilly tlinti iisiiiil t.lw ititcrcstitig qiicstioti of the geoprciplti- ciil distri1)utioti of siirioits iiiiport:itit gcticr:~ iii t t l spccics. 1 S ~ l ) ~ i i ~ l l y to bc c~tittiietitlctl is tlic stress I:iitl iipoti the urgetit (lcsiral)ilit,y of tlevclopitig tlic protluctioti of \ ~ t i I i i - iIlJlC cssctttiiil oils iri tltc 13ritisli IStnpirc, with its :itmost iittlittiitcd tlivcrsities of cliiitiitc arid otliets condit,ioiis.

ititliciitiott of siiclt littctit I)ossibilitics is iiflordcd, for csii tiiplc, by succossfiil tittctiipts to citltiwtc iii Xortlicrti IiIiodcsiiL tlirec specics of Btrcctl!/p/rrs wliicli iifTort1 prolific yields of geriitiiol, citrtil n i i d eiitcolc, rcspcc- t i d y . Ah. lc'ititiciitorc's sumtttriry niny bc sitpl~le- tiirtited by iiildiiig the striking fwt t l t r i t certiiin sl)ccics of this romiirkiiblc gctiiis itrc ~ i i p i l h of Iloitrisliitig i t t t,lic o p t i as ftir tiortli iis Scotliititl. Tlio ecotioiiiic possi- bilit.ies i t1 this oiic gctius, coniprisitig SOIIIC 300 sl~ccics, ciicli witti its cliiiriictcristic led-oil, iire cttortiio1ts ; tievort;hclcss, tlicsc possil,ilitics liiivc rcccivccl littlc ~i iore public rccogiiitioti i i i A.ustrrrliit t l int i i n Great l h i t i i i t t . 'l!liiit tlic l~iielwiird coiidition of thc I3ritisli cssclitiiil oil ititliistrics is tiot clue? to ltwk of iiiitiiit.iw t i t i (I vigotir iiiiio~ig lhitisli iiieti or sciciicc is cvitlcticctl Iy tlic itnl)ortniit iiiiviiticcs i i i this licld of' cnrlitirp wIiic+ Iliivc iiccrucrl tluriiig rccciit years froiii iirvcstigntions ciirriecl

out not only in C h a t Britnin, but notnbly also iii h i s tralin iiIid in Iudin. It is n plensing feature of tlic book uiider notice tliat Blr. l hnemore ltas drawn particular nttciition to these " steady and valunblc rcscnrchcs," which in soinc instuiices arc of equal ititerest niid itiiport- nnce to p r c and iq>iied organic elwinistry : n cmc iti point is provided by thc rccognitioii, in Tiidin, of (2-piperi- toile i i i R I-lininlayaii grass oil (1). 1.16) nlniost immediately iifter the chnmcteri~ation, in Australin, of Z-pipcritonc froiii a. series of Eucdypl'rus oils (p, 570). It is nti addi- tioniil sntisfnctioii to find in Jlr. Fitinemore's treatise 1111 able summnry of the important but iiindequately rccognised \rork of. I.I. C. Smith and R. T. Balm on the csscutial oils of thc eucalypts niid Australinti pines.

Thc plau of this book deiiiniids a thoroughly cotiiprc- lietisive index, iiud in this rcsllcct tlicrc is undoubtcdly roo111 for itiiproiwmcnt. Althoug.li satislnctory for the direct itidicntioii of individual oils, thc present itidcx oftctt nflords little giiirlniicc to tlic occurrcticc of par- ticitlnr substaticcs ; iiidccd, i t i soiiic iiistnticcs one rcfcr- cticc only is g i \ w to n coiiipoiiciit wliicli is tiiciitioiicd rcpciitetlly i t i the tcst. As ii fiirtlier exntiiplc, the five refercnces to pilIcritotie igtiorc tlic importatit occiirrciicc of 11-piperitone i n thc oil of rirrtlropgoit ~ ~ ~ ( ~ ~ ~ t ) t c ~ f s ~ i . 'l'ltc rcfercticcs to annlyticnl tiictliods are likc\visc scii iity ; SIICII ctitrics as "Acctylii tioii," '* Sa poiiificutioii," 'iL\ldcliydcs, dcteriitiniitioti of,"' etc. iire absent, iiithougli tlir tcst contains dcscriptions of stitnclard itietliods irliicli should be indexed undcr tlicsc headings. Au iirithor ititlex woiild be iiii ntlditioniil i i id t o chcn~ic:il itivcstigritors i t t t,ltis Aclcl.

Tiikeii i t i its entirety, l l r . Pititictiiorc's Look provicles ii iiotcwortliy titid vnlucible cotit~il)utioti to the litenitiirc of esseiitinl oils. It miry bc rccoiiii~icittlcil witli cotifi- tlctice to chemists, botanists, tii~iiiiifiictiircrs, oil tlistillcrs iuiti others who rcquirc ii Iiiiiidy nitit up-to-dntc iiccolint of this incre:isingly iiiiporttitit sttbjcct. Tlic I)ook is printcd in I I large iititl clciir type, iind its iip1)ciiriiticc rcficcts credit on t.lic prititcrs i i t i d piiblislicrs. It mny be suggcstctl, liowevcr: t l t n t t,lie tlccidetlly liigli pricc or tho \yoliuiic tiiiglit hii\~c bccn rccli~cccl iipprcciably by iidopt- iiig :I Iess espciisivc forxililt, in particuliir by omittiiig t.hc plates, wliich, although intcrcsbing, nrc not indis- 1)ciwi blc. J O l l S I i l X D

C I I I ~ J ~ I S I X Y 012 ~ 1 1 1 . : O I L ISI)USTI~ISS. 1 3 ~ J'. E. SOUTII- COJIHE, ll.Sc., Secotitl ctlitioli, rcvisctl rind ctilargcd Pp. siv + 294. I,otidoti : Ooiistnhlc CY: Co., Ltct., 19%. 'I'ricc: 1.3s. Orl . iict.

Tlie objcct of tliis work, i i s ititliciitctl by tlic ntitlior iti t,lic t'rcfiicc, is to forin :I Iwitlgc bct\vccii tltc elciticlitiiry t e s t - h o b of piire clictiiistry t inc t tlic itutticroits tecliiiiciil trciitiscs niitl tiioitogriiplis of it spcciiilisctl cltiiriictcr. 'Yltc aiitltor Itns, 011 the ~ J i o l c , bce~i succcssfitl i i i his h i , for lifter it iiscfiil ititrotliictor~.cttn~~tcr tlciilitig witli tlio rclc\rntit org,itiic cliciiiistry,, tic piisscs 011, followiiig i i

cltaptcr tlciiliitg \vitIi t h theory of t,lio colloitliil stntc, t o give iii broiid oiitliric it gcttcritl iiccoiittt of t,lio niiiicritl oil ilitlustry, thc soiirecs aid itiotlcs of prcpitrtibioii of the fiitty oils, their conipositioii iititl propertics uittl tho viirioits ititliistriiil operlitioris it1 \vliirli t h y (ire Iitrgelg c~onrcrnccl.