Abstract
SYDNEY. Royal Society of New South Wales, June 2.—Mr. James Nangle, president, in the chair.—H. G. Smith and A. R. Penfold: The manufacture of thymol, menthone, and menthol from eucalyptus oils. Work was undertaken in order to determine the molecular structure of piperitone, the peppermint ketone of eucalyptus oils. Piperitone is a menthenone with the carbonyl group in the 3 position. When oxidised with ferric chloride in the ordinary way 25 per cent. of thymol was produced. By reducing piperitone with hydrogen in the presence of a nickel catalyst an almost quantitative yield of menthone was obtained, which on further reduction with sodium in aqueous ether produced menthol. The abundance of piperitone obtainable from Eucalyptus dives makes this ketone probably the best source for the manufacture of thymol and menthone.—R. H. Cambage: A new species of Queensland ironbark. This new eucalyptus comes from about 120 miles westerly from Cairns, in tropical Queensland, and furnishes a good, red timber. It was found growing on granite formation in open forest country, and resembles E. crebra in bark and timber, but differs in the shape of buds and fruits, which latter are hemispherical with exserted valves.
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Societies and Academies. Nature 105, 732 (1920). https://doi.org/10.1038/105732a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/105732a0