Before distilling, the tangerine peels needed to be washed, chopped, and mixed with certain chemicals, all of which were available in the laboratory. It was unclear whether these were originally intended for other experiments or if Simon had specifically ordered them.

The young Maria and the older Rudolf worked well together, spending the entire afternoon in the lab. They not only established the beginnings of a friendship but also produced their first batch of highly concentrated tangerine peel essential oil and a small bottle of alcohol distilled from beer.

The tangerine essential oil, in addition to its characteristic citrus scent, had a faint floral note, creating an elegant, refreshing, sweet...