The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1902-08-21

Among the 'side-lines' for druggists
journals, mention Is rarely made of the
most appropriate of all-the practice Of
chemistry. 1t is true that at present
comparatively few druggists are equipped
with sufficient knowledge Of chemistry
to turn to practical account. but as the
demand for higher pharmaceutical edu-
cation Increases we shall find more and
more men behind the drug counter ca
pable of expert chemical work. That
chemistry is a profitable side-line is evil
denced by the testimony of those pharm-
acists who have followed it. This paper,
however, is not a discussion of CONNER
cial testing, but rather a suggestion of
the possibilities of chemical research at
forded the southerner, and to particu-
larly emphasize of what enormous value
to the south chemical investigations may
prove.
ut is needless to dilate upon those
staple produces of the south which owe
their development to the science of chem
istry, such as sugar, cotton seed oil and
petroleum. The Industries of handling
these staples has passed the experimental
stage, and in each of these lines chemists
are constantly engaged In attempts to
improve processes. Fine work in sugar
chemistry is being done at Tulane uni
versity. New Orleans, and at the Louis
lana agricultural experiment station;
petroleum has been the study of Pro-
fessor Mabery and his pupils at the Case
School of Applied Science of Cleveland
for many years past: while cotton seed
oil is interesting quite number Of in
yestigators. These industries are ac-
complished facts; are there not others
only waiting the magic touch Of the
chemists wand. the secret of which Is
persistent effort?
I'm the south the turpentine industry
f1ourishes and promises to furnish the
world with tar, rosln and oil of turpen-
tine for centuries to come; but how
about possible syntheses from the latter?
Oil of turpentine, on treatment with
nitric acid, in the presence of alcohol.
yields turpin hydrate. This. in turn, on
treatment with sulphuric acid, is con-
verified into terpeneol, a product much
used in perfumery on account of its lilac
odor. Terpineol yields an oxy-oxime,
which has been converted into l-carvone.
the important constituent of oil of spear
mint and into carvacrol, the active In
gredient of the origanum oils and of the
Spanish oil of thyme This oxy-omime,
treated with concentrated sulphuric acid,
gives para-amido- thymol and the latter,
by throwing off the NH group yields
ta1
bisulphate, gives dipentane, or inactive
limonene-a combination of equal parts
of d-limonene, the terpene of oil of
lemon, and of l-limonene, one of the con-
stituents of oil of peppermint D-limonene,
while constituting 90 per cent of oil OF
lemon, Is no longer considered Its odor-
Gus principle; that being citrai, an aide
hyde obtained by the oxidation of the
alcohol geraniol. This geraniol Is obtained
from It's isomeric alcohol, linalool, by
treatment with acids. Geraniol has been
converted into terpineol and likewise,
linalool can be transformed into terpin
hydrate. AS yet, the reverse reaction
conversion of terpineol and terpin n.y.
drate into geraniol and linalool-has not
been accomplished, but it is merely a
question of time as to our obtaining from
oil of turpentine, through terpineol, not
merely the hydrocarbon of oil of lemon,
but also its odorous principle. citral.
"Citral, geraniol and linalool possess
interest other than that coming from
their relationship to terpineol. The first
Is the chief body In the commercial ter
pene free oil of lemon the second free
49, Ia ge he OBJ
Gus principle of oil Of rose geranium;
while the third Gree and as esters) fur
nishes the odor of the oils of of bergamot
and lavender. Moreover, citral is of
great commercial value as the raw ma
terial from which ionone-the synthetic
violet Oils made; this being product
obtained from pseudo-ionone, which is
made by condensing citral with acetone.
Most of these synthetics In the ter
pene series are at present of only theo-
retical interest, either by reason Of the
fact that the conversion is too costly to
compete with the natural product. or be-
cause the body obtained. while isomeric
with the odorous principle desired diff
fers from 1t. perhaps in optical activity
or in fragrance. Thus. while terpineol
yields mthyl setter, which has been
converted into a menthol, 1t is not the
| official menthol. but an isomeric tertiary
alcohol, possessing the peppermint odor
only to a slight degree. But 1t only
needs persistent effort to bring these
syntheses to a commercial basis. the
/ best proof of which is the fact that the
ionone synthesis mentioned in the fore
going is the basis of profitable German
! industry So who knows but that the
future may find the south dotted with
factories devoted to the conversion Of
oil of turpentine into the most delicate
perfumes
"a possible fruitful field for research
Is one that has been but specifically
studied by the writer-an investigation
into the possibility of the profitable man.
ufacture of vanilla from the coniferin
found in the sap of the southern pine.
The coniferin-vanillin synthesis-patent-
ed in 1S74-is said to have been largely
replaced by the vanillin manufactured
whether Investigations in the southern
pine forests may not put the coniferin
industry on a paying basis.
Another possibility OF more strictly
pharmaceutical interest is the manufac-
ture of orange-flower water in Florida
and Louisiana. Any query as to this
possibility is always answered by the
| =. L.