ALMOND OIL.

An essential oil distilled from the ground, macerated

kernels of bitter almond, Prunus amygdalus or communis, of the Mediterranean countries, and from the kernels of the apricot, P. armeniaca. The two oils are identical and contain the glucoside amygdalin. The U.S. production is mostly from the by-product pits of the apricot canning industry of California. The almond is a small tree closely resembling the peach. The fruit is inedible, but the seeds inside the pits are marketed as roasted and salted nuts and are made into a paste for confections. Oil of bitter almonds is used in perfumery and as a flavor. For flavoring use, the poisonous hydrocyanic acid is extracted. Synthetic almond oil is benzaldehyde, C6H5CHO, a colorless volatile oil with an almond flavor, produced from benzol or from toluol and used for producing triphenylmethane dyes and many chemicals.