ZOOLOGY AND BOTANY, MICROSCOPY, ETC. 443 



speaking, a uniform composition. As to the presence in them of alka- 

 loids, as Tschirch and Kritzel maintained, the author's researches gave no 

 certain indication. From the crystals he ohtains succinic acid, oxalic 

 acid, and the metals magnesium, calcium, and potassium. The greater 

 or less resistance of the crystalloids to different reagents is due to 

 differences in chemical composition, which probably find expression in 

 the differences in form. The form of the crystalloid is of great import- 

 ance for determination of the grain and can be studied in the pulverised 

 grain better than in sections. The author concludes that crystalloids 

 are in a great number of cases complex bodies. He recommends a 

 solution of potassium borotartrate for clearing the grain and manifesting 

 the form of the crystalloid. This solution generally dissolves the 

 fundamental mass entirely and also the globoid. On placing the 

 powdered grain, from which the fat has been removed by ether, into this 

 solution, the crystalloid generally appears standing alone and surrounded 

 by the tegument. 



Constitution of Hematoxylin.* — W. H. Perkin jun. and J. Yates 

 have carried out a number of experiments on the colouring matter of 

 the heart-wood of Hsematoxylon campechianum, the well-known logwood, 

 the results of which indicate its close relationship with brazilin and also 

 enable the authors to assign a formula to hematoxylin. 



Colouring Matters of Green Ebony .f — A. G. Perkin and S. H. C. 

 Briggs have investigated the colouring matters of a sample of green 

 ebony, a yellow dye-wood formerly employed to some extent in this 

 country, and a native of Jamaica or the West Indies. They isolated 

 crystals of two distinct colouring matters which they name exccecarin 

 and jacarandin respectively. The former has the composition C 13 H 12 5 

 and crystallises in glistening lemon-yellow needles, sparingly soluble 

 in cold alcohol or ether and insoluble in benzene or chloroform. The 

 latter is represented by the formula C 14 H 12 5 and forms glistening 

 yellow plates or leaflets sparingly soluble in alcohol and the usual 

 solvents to form pale yellow liquids having a green fluorescence. The 

 former does cot dye calico with or without mordants, but the latter gives 

 good full shades of yellow, brown, or olive varying with the mordant. 

 The chemical and physical properties of the substances are fully dis- 

 cussed. The dye-wood is obtained from Exccecaria glandulosa or 

 Jacaranda ovalifolia, but the name of the specimen used was not deter- 

 mined. 



Colouring Matter from Flowers of Delphinium consolida.J — 

 A. G. Perkin and E. J. Wilkinson have extracted from the blue flowers 

 of this plant a yellow colouring matter differing in composition from 

 that present in Deljrfiinium Zalil. It consists of pale yellow needles 

 resembling quercetin in appearance, melting at 276°-277°, readily 

 soluble in boiling alcohol and also in alkaline solution to which it gave 

 a pale yellow colour. It is represented by the formula Ci 5 H 10 O 6 . Its 

 reactions agree closely with those of kampherol prepared by Gordin 

 from the monomethyl ether, kampheride, contained in galanga root. 



• Journ. Chem. Soc, lxxxi. (1902) pp. 235-46. 



t Tom. cit., pp. 210-20. X Tom. cii, pp. 585-91. 



2 G 2 



