Oleum Gaultheriae.

BY ISAAC EDWARD LEONARD, PH.G.

Abstract from a Thesis.

Oil of wintergreen was first made in Luzerne county, Pa., in 1863, from which time it has been distilled in great quantities, with the exception of last year, when the yield was not so plentiful, owing to the destruction of the shrubberies by the fire which passed over our mountains.

In distilling, the entire overground portion of the plant is employed, which has its greatest yield during the months of July and August.

The still is generally a wooden box, about eight feet long, four feet wide, four feet high, with a copper bottom and staid with bolts. The head of the still is copper, and connecting with this is a square or circular worm of the same material or of tin, placed in a barrel. The still being filled with wintergreen to within about twelve inches of the top, a sufficient quantity of water is added, and this is allowed to macerate from ten to twelve hours. The fire being started, the distillation commences and continues for about eight hours; but during the first two or three hours, ninety per cent. of the oil has passed over. For collecting the distillate, most of the stillers use a wide mouth bottle or fruit jar, fitted with a large cork having two holes. A small tin or glass funnel is put into one of the holes, so that the beak of the funnel is below the shoulder of the receiving vessel, and connected with the other hole is a suitable pipe forming an egress. The distillate passes into the receiving vessel through the funnel. It is here that the oil and the water separates, the oil going to the bottom, and the water being lighter and in excess passes through the egress pipe into a larger receptacle, where it is reserved for a subsequent operation (cohobation).

Occasionally the oil is very highly colored. I have found several samples to contain traces of iron, which is due to the oxidation of the tin worm or can with which the oil conies in contact. Tin worms are used on account of their cheapness, but will only last about two weeks, before they undergo oxidation.

The wholesale dealers that handle the oil in large quantities have three ways of "cleaning" it, re-distillation, filtration, and decolorization. The first two processes are easily understood, while the decolorization seems a difficult one, but is much easier than either of the others. The oil to be decolorized is put into a bottle and crystals of citric acid are added, the whole allowed to stand, agitating occasionally, until the oil is colorless, or nearly so.

On experimenting with nine quarts of wintergreen fruit, I found it contained one and one-half drachms of oil. The chief uses of the oil, are for flavoring and in printing fine calicoes.

In experimental distillation, I found that the lower specific gravity is due to the separating of the oil from the water too quickly, and that the higher specific gravity is obtained by letting the distillate stand from twenty-four to forty-eight hours before separating the oil from the water.

A case of poisoning occurred in 1883, at one of the grocery stores in White Haven, Pa. A man mistaking the oil for the milky water, drank about two ounces; he was taken to his home in Easton, Pa., and died in about five hours.

Parties have tried to export the oil, but did not succeed.

The American Journal of Pharmacy, Vol. 56, 1884, was edited by John M. Maisch.