BITTER ALMOND OIL
Historical document, translated for reference. It reflects medical knowledge of the 1920s–30s and is not medical advice.
Summary
Bitter almond oil is a colorless liquid obtained from bitter almond cake or apricot seeds, containing benzaldehyde, hydrocyanic acid, and other compounds. Due to its variable composition and toxicity, it is rarely used for medical purposes but is employed in liqueur production and perfumery.
Encyclopedia article (1928–1936)
BITTER ALMOND OIL, Oleum Amygdalarum amararum aethereum, is obtained from the cake of bitter almonds or more often from apricot seeds. A colorless, gradually yellowing, strongly light-refracting liquid with a bitter almond odor, a burning and slightly bitter taste. Freshly prepared B. m. has a neutral reaction, but over time the reaction becomes acidic, and crystals of benzoic acid separate from the oil. It dissolves in approximately 300 parts of cold water and in 2 volumes of alcohol (70°). It consists mainly of benzaldehyde-cyan-anhydride, and also contains free benzaldehyde and hydrocyanic acid, the amount of which (free and combined) varies from 1.5% to 11.4%, and about 0.2% of another little-studied oily substance; due to its variable composition and toxicity, it is almost never used for medical purposes, but is used in the production of certain liqueurs and vodkas (sometimes causing poisoning), and is more commonly used in perfumery. Oleum Amygdalarum amararum sine Acido hydrocyanico, B. m., purified from hydrogen cyanide by treatment with lime and iron salts, is a colorless, optically inactive liquid consisting almost exclusively of benzaldehyde. Oleum Amygdalarum amararum artificiale- see Benzaldehyde.
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“BITTER ALMOND OIL.” Soviet Medical Encyclopedia. English translation of Bolshaya Meditsinskaya Entsiklopediya, 1st ed. (Moscow, 1928–1936), ed. N. A. Semashko. https://sovietmedicalencyclopedia.pages.dev/article/bitter-almond-oil/