Essential oils properties

Although their composition differ one from another, they have some similar physical essential oil properties. They are composed not only of one compound, but a mixture with different composition for each type of plant. They have a distinctive odor, a high refractive index, and most have optical activity and a specific rotation. Therefore, these parameters are used as the qualification of those products.
They are soluble in ether, alcohol, and several other organic solvents. Its solubility in water is very small, but large enough to provide the smell to the water. Water that contains very little of them also has a fragrance, usually called aromatic water.
The other essential oil properties as follows:
-It has a distinctive odor, the smell is generally represented his native plant odor
-Having a sense of bitter, sharp taste, bite, giving a sense of hot or even warm to cold when the skin, depending on the type of its components. For example: the volatile compounds from clove bud give us extra hot, even irritating sensation to our skin, so you should be careful when use it.
How to distinguish between them with the fat or oil?
Plant substances that have a solubility and physical appearance similar to the volatile oil is "oil or fat". They were both somewhat viscous liquid form and can not dissolved in water. To distinguish them, you may notice the following essential oil properties:
Tips #1
They can be distilled from the source of natural materials, while fat or oil can not because essential oils contain volatile compounds which give distinct pleasant aroma. The fat and oil sometime contain short chain fatty acid. That compounds are also volatile but give unpleasant aroma signing the rancidity of fat or oil had happened.
Tips #2
When both substances are hatched on a piece of paper it will leave a transparent stain. After a while, volatile oil stains will disappear, while the oil or fat stains still there.
Tips #3
On the addition of alkali, they do not produce soap, while the fat or oil produce soap.
Tips #4
Fat or oil when stored longer would be rancid (rancid), but volatile oils are not. However, when volatile compounds exposed to sunlight or moisture, air or oxygen will cause resinification, thus becoming similar viscous resin.
Understanding essential oil properties can help us to design each application and to formulate the right recipe of the various kinds.

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