Salicylaldehyde be prepared from the corresponding phenol by the Duff reaction, or by treatment with paraformaldehyde in the presence of magnesium chloride and a base. Salicylaldehyde was identified as a characteristic aroma component of buckwheat. It is also one of the components of castoreum, the exudate from the castor sacs of the mature North American beaver ("Castor canadensis") and the European beaver ("Castor fiber"), used in perfumery. Furthermore, salicylaldehyde occurs in the larval defensive secretions of several leaf beetle species that belong the subtribe Chrysomelina. An example for a leaf beetle species that produces salicylaldehyde is the red poplar leaf beetle
Castor oil Castor oil Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans. The name probably comes from its use as a replacement for castoreum. Castor oil is a colourless to very pale yellow liquid with a distinct taste and odor. Its boiling point is and its density is 961 kg/m. It is a triglyceride in which approximately 90 percent of fatty acid chains are ricinoleates. Oleate and linoleates are the other significant components. Castor oil and its derivatives are used in the manufacturing of soaps, lubricants, hydraulic and brake fluids, paints, dyes, coatings, inks, cold resistant plastics, waxes and polishes,