152 



THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



continued for five minutes, the product strained 

 diluted, filtered and made up to loo Cc. This 

 sample gave 2.683 P^^ cent, of calcium oxide. — 

 Apothecary, Aug., 1894, 18. 



Purity of Iodine sold as Resublimed Iodine. — 

 C. O. Curtman (Report No. 8 of the Research 

 Committee B. of U. S. Pharmacopoeia) has ex- 

 amined specimens obtained from six different 

 firms and found them to be of a grade higher 

 (minimum 99.75 per cent.) than that demanded 

 by the U. S. P. 



Castor Oil in Croton Oil and Copaiba. — L. 

 Maupy detects castor oil in croton oil by treat- 

 ing the mixture to dry distillation with an 

 alkali, thus forming sebacic acid and caprylic 

 alcohol from the ricinoleic acid. The sebacic 

 acid obtained by treating the solution with a 

 mineral acid is insoluble in cold but soluble in 

 boiling water. In testing copaiba, ten (10) 

 Gms of balsam copaiba are carefully heated in 

 a silver capsule with an equal quantity of soda. 

 If, after frothing ceases, an odor of caprylic al- 

 cohol is perceivable, the presence of castor oil 

 is certain. If the reaction product is further 

 warmed with 50 Cc. of water, filtered, the fil- 

 trate heated in a porcelain vessel with an excess 

 of nitric acid, raised to the boiling point and 

 filtered while still hot, a white precipitate of 

 sebacic acid will subside on cooling, if the sup. 

 posed admixture was present. This principle 

 is soluble in boiling water, and from this solu- 

 tion is reprecipitated by lead subacetate. — 

 Jour. Phar. Chent,, 1894, 362. 



Adulteration of Cumarin. — Fritzsche Bros, 

 call attention to an adulterated product upon 

 the market containing 36.05 per cent, acetani- 

 lide. The tests for this product may be applied 

 as follows : 



" When a little of the substance was heated 

 with metallic sodium, the fused mass dissolved 

 in water and tested with ferrous sulphate, etc., 

 in the usual manner, a precipitate of Prussian 

 blue was obtained, thus showing the presence 

 of nitrogen, an element which is not contained 

 in pure Cumarin. When heated with a 3 per 

 cent, solution of potassium hydrate for an hour, 

 at a temperature of about 60° C, it developed 

 the peculiar odor of analine ; and when a few 

 drops of chloroform were subsequently added 

 and the mixture again gently heated, the char- 

 acteristic and intensely disagreeable odor of 

 phenyl- carbylamine was produced — the so- 

 called iso-nitrile reaction. With chlorinated 

 lime it also gave the blue color reaction char- 

 acteristic of analine. The alkaline solution, 

 including the crystalline laminae which sepa- 



rated therefrom on cooling, was shaken witk 

 ether, the ethereal solution separated and 

 allowed to evaporate, when a crystalline mass 

 was obtained, which, when crystallized from 

 dilute alcohol, formed glistening laminse, melt- 

 ing at 114° C." 



Acetanilide, popularly known as Antifebrin, 

 appears to have been quite extensiveb- em- 

 ployed of late for the adulteration or sophisti- 

 cation of organic chemicals, for Messrs. Schim- 

 mel & Co. {Semi-Annual Report, Oct., 1893,. 

 p. 67; Bericht, October, 1893, p. 64) have found 

 it to be the chief constituent of the so-called 

 "Artificial Musk" and " Tonquinol," and to 

 to be contained in the following amounts in the 

 preparations here enumerated: 



f 30,'^i Cumarin . 

 \ ']o% Antifebrin. 

 f 25JS Heliotropin 

 t 75^ Antifebrin. 



Cumarol consists of about 



Heliotrop 



Bigarol 



Irisol 



Ambraiii 



,, • I I5?» Nerolin. 



\ ^=)% Antifebrin. 



f 2.5^ Oil of Orris 

 \ 97.5^ Antifebrin 



( 15% Cumarin. 

 I 85^^ Antifebrin. 

 ' " -{ And traces of 



I another odor- 

 [ ous body. 



Estimation of Oil of Turpentine in AlcohoL 

 — Alcohol containing turpentine will stand 

 more or less dilution with water before a tur- 

 bidity is produced. The more turpentine is 

 present the less will be the amount of water 

 required. On this fact the author bases his 

 process for a quantitative estimation of turpen- 

 tine in denatured spirits. 5 Cc. of the sample 

 is put into a test glass and water is added from 

 a burette until a permanent turbidity is pro- 

 duced. 5 Cc. of a 0.5 per cent, solution of 

 turpentine in spirit of the same alcoholic 

 strength as the sample is put into another test 

 glass and also titrated. The mixture which 

 consumes most water is the poorest in turpen- 

 tine, and the author found that i.i Cc o 

 difference in water is equivalent to 0.25 per cent, 

 of turpentine. The author also found that the 

 turpentine cannot be removed by practical 

 distillation over lime.— /. /'i?r/ /?/ Chem. Zeit., 

 1894, 185 1. 



Estimation of Alcohol in Wines. — A. Born- 

 traeger dilutes 100 Cc. of the sample with an 

 equal bulk of water, distills off two-thirds or 

 more, dilutes the distillate to exactly 100 Cc, 

 and takes its Sp. Gr. at 15.5°, Unless the sample 

 contains more than 0.5 per cent, of volatile 

 acridity, which is rarely the case, it is not 

 necessary to neutralize before distillation. — 



