Brown Camphor Oil

#### Camphor Oil, Brown. This is the medium-heavy fraction from the vacuum-distillation of the camphor-free oil. (See ##### Camphor Oil, White). The **Brown**** ****Camphor**** ****Oil**** **amounts to 6 or 7% of the total oil, or 20 to 22% of the de-camphorized oil. Brown camphor oil is produced almost entirely in Formosa and Japan from the Hon-Sho type of **Cinnamomum Camphora**, the camphor tree. This fraction is the most interesting from a perfumer's point of view, Its main constituent is safrole, and the redistilled brown camphor oil can be used directly in soap perfumes for its magnificent masking effect. The safrole can be isolated from the oil and it then serves as a starting material for the production of heliotropine, vanillin, and other perfume materials. Terpineol is separated during the safrole-isolation, and serves as is, or it may be transformed into terpinyl esters. An artificial sassafras oil, "**Oil Camphor Sassafrassy**", is also produced from the brown camphor oil by rectification and adjusting of the safrole content, terpenes, etc. The Formosan artificial sassafras oil was the most important replacement for North American (true) sassafras oil until the appearance of the Brazilian **Ocotea Pretiosa Oil **(see this monograph). **Brown**** ****Camphor**** ****Oil**** **is produced in quantities exceeding 1000 metric tons per year.