Copaiba, African

The principal adiili -ratioas of copaiba sad Its oil are the correspoading haUaniS and oils knowm us. African copaiba (probably obtained from O.n/stiqnui Mannii and gurjun balsam). 

With cedar-wood and copaiba oils, the high boiling fractions are found to have very high refractive indices (up to 1 4900 or even 1 500), and in the case of African copaiba, cadinene is found in the fraction 255 to 270, and in the case of c ar oils, the corresponding fraction may be laevo-rotary to the extent of - 45. ... 

As indicating the behaviour of African copaiba oil, which has been used to a considerable extent for adulterating this oil, the following figures for the pure copaiba oil are of interest. A sample of the balsam i lf was distUled by the author and Bennett and the oil collected in four equal fractions. 

Other samples of African copaiba oil had the following characters —... 

The d-sesquiterpene of West Indian sandalwood oil and of African copaiba balsam oil. 

Semmler and Stenzel have examined the laevo-rotatory sesquiterpene of African copaiba oil, which yields cadinene hydrodiloride, and have named it copsene. By oxidation with potassium permanganate it yields a ketonic add. which foims a semi-carl zone melting at 221 . 

The so-called African copaiba oil has been referred to somewhat fully under oil of copaiba, so that only a few further details ate necessary. African balsam of copaiba is the product of a plant whose botanical origin is not quite certain. It is probably Oxystigma Mannii, or Hardwiwia Mannii. 

The investigattou sho ved that the iirsc rutmin" of African copaiba balsam oil contain a l vo-rotatory sesquitcipcQC, vhioh, although differing materially frorn cadinene m regard to its physical properties,... 

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