| volatile oil | A substance of oily consistency and feel, derived from a plant and containing the principles to which the odour and taste of the plant are due (essential oil); in contrast to a fatty oil, a volatile oil evaporates when exposed to the air and thus is capable of distillation; it may also be obtained by expression or extraction; many volatile oil's, identical to or closely resembling the natural oil's, can be made synthetically. Volatile oil's are used in medicine as stimulants, stomachics, correctives, carminatives, and for purposes of flavoring (e.g., peppermint oil). Synonym: ethereal oil. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| volatile mustard oil | CH2==CH-CH2-NCS; volatile mustard CH-allylisosulfocyanate; isothiocyanic allyl ester;obtained from Brassica nigra or produced synthetically; a vesicant, used in 10% solution in 50% alcohol as a counterirritant in neuralgia. Gives mustard its characteristics flavor and aroma. See: mustard oil. Synonym: volatile mustard oil. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| volatile | 1. Passing through the air on wings, or by the buoyant force of the atmosphere; flying; having the power to fly. 2. Capable of wasting away, or of easily passing into the aeriform state; subject to evaporation. Substances which affect the smell with pungent or fragrant odors, as musk, hartshorn, and essential oils, are called volatile substances, because they waste away on exposure to the atmosphere. Alcohol and ether are called volatile liquids for a similar reason, and because they easily pass into the state of vapor on the application of heat. On the contrary, gold is a fixed substance, because it does not suffer waste, even when exposed to the heat of a furnace; and oils are called fixed when they do not evaporate on simple exposure to the atmosphere. 3. Light-hearted; easily affected by circumstances; airy; lively; hence, changeable; fickle; as, a volatile temper. "You are as giddy and volatile as ever." (Swift) Volatile alkali. <chemistry> See Essential oils, under Essential. Origin: F. Volatil, L. Volatilis, fr. Volare to fly, perhaps akin to velox swift, E. Velocity. Cf. Volley. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998) |
| volatile anaesthetic | A liquid anaesthetic that at room temperature volatilises to a vapor which when inhaled is capable of producing general anaesthesia. See: anaesthetic vapor. (05 Mar 2000) |
| volatile fatty acid number | An index of the volatile acid content of a fat; the number of milliliters of 0.1 n KOH required to neutralise the soluble volatile fatty acids in 5 g of fat that has been saponified, acidified to liberate the fatty acids, and then steam-distilled. Synonym: volatile fatty acid number. (05 Mar 2000) |
| volatile organic compounds | (VOC) Emissions of non-methane hydrocarbons, measured by standard DEQ methods. (05 Dec 1998) |
| sal volatile | A hydroalcoholic solution containing approximately 2% ammonia and 4% ammonium carbonate and the aromatics: lemon oil, lavender oil, and myristica oil. Used mainly by inhalation to produce reflex stimulation in persons who have fainted or are at risk of syncope. Synonym: sal volatile, smelling salts. (05 Mar 2000) |
| oils, volatile | Oils which evaporate readily. The volatile oils occur in aromatic plants, to which they give odour and other characteristics. most volatile oils consist of a mixture of two or more terpenes or of a mixture of an eleopten (the more volatile constituent of a volatile oil) with a stearopten (the more solid constituent). The synonym essential oils refers to the essence of a plant, as its perfume or scent, and not to its indispensibility. (12 Dec 1998) |
| fatty acids, volatile | Short-chain fatty acids of up to six carbon atoms in length. They are the major end products of microbial fermentation in the ruminant digestive tract and have also been implicated in the causation of neurological diseases in humans. (12 Dec 1998) |
| ajowan oil | A volatile oil distilled from the fruit of Carum copticum, one of the sources of thymol; a carminative, aromatic, and expectorant. Synonym: ptychotis oil. (05 Mar 2000) |
| allspice oil | pimenta oil |
| almond oil | A fixed oil expressed from sweet almonds, the kernels of varieties of Prunus amygdalus; used in ointments. Bitter almond oil, a volatile oil from the dried ripe kernels of bitter almonds and from other kernels containing amygdalin; it contains between 2 and 4% of hydrocyanic acid and 95% of benzaldehyde. (05 Mar 2000) |
| apple oil | Isoamyl isovalerate;used as a sedative; formerly used in the treatment of gallstones because of its solvent action on cholesterol. Synonym: apple oil. (05 Mar 2000) |
| apricot kernel oil | See: persic oil. (05 Mar 2000) |
| arachis oil | Oil extracted from the kernels of one or more cultivated varieties of Arachis hypogaea (family Leguminosae); used as a solvent for intramuscular injections and in the preparation of foods. Synonym: arachis oil. (05 Mar 2000) |
| aromatic castor oil | Contains cinnamon oil 3, clove oil 1, vanillin 1, saccharin 0.5, alcohol 30, in castor oil to make 1000; a cathartic. (05 Mar 2000) |