THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



20 r 



action between neutral Bismuth nitrate* and 

 sodium sulphite, according to the folowing; 



2 Bi (N03)3 + 3 Na^ SO3 = Bi (SOa^s + 6 

 NaNOj 



The therapeutic value of this preparation is 

 based on the action produced by the genera- 

 tion of sulphuretted hydrogen, which arises 

 from the sulphurous acid which is set free in 

 the system. The bismuth sulphite acts as an 

 antiseptic, antifermentive, antiputrescent, hence 

 its use would be indicated in treatment of ab- 

 normal fermeutive disturbances in the stomach 

 or intestines. — Bull. Chitn. Farm. 10, '94. V. C 



Latex of the Lac Tree of Tonkin. — Accord- 

 ing to G. Bertrand, the vapors given off by this 

 latex produce erysipelic ulcerations of the skin. 

 He has isolated a special diastase from the 

 original substance which he names laccase. 

 From the alcoholic solution after separation of 

 the gum and laccase, he also obtained a volatile 

 oily substance laccol. The latter approximates 

 to the polyatomic phenols. Laccase appears to 

 be an oxidizing diastase. — Bull. Soc. Chitn., 

 (Paris), 1894, to 14. 



The Nascent State. — J. C. Gregory calls at- 

 tention to the somewhat sweeping denunciation 

 of L. Andrews, of the the theory' of nascent ac- 

 tion. The author believes that while Andrews 

 has not succeeded in disproving nascent action, 

 in instances which he cites, still he has put forth 

 a few fallacies which require us to revise our 

 views on these points, and we may find nascent 

 action to be less widely extended than we have 

 heretofore believed. — Cheni. News, 1894, 188. 



Weights and Measures. — D. B. Dott is of the 

 opinion that for presenting and dispensing the 

 British system of weights and measures is to be 

 preferred, while for analytical work the metric 

 is more convenient. A man is more apt to write 

 .01 gm. instead of .001 gm., than he is to write 

 Gr. I instead of Gr. /„, and when the writing is 

 preceded by a calculation, there is even greater 

 liability of the decimal point going wrong. — 

 Pharrn. four. Trans. 1894, 311. 



Spiegler's Albumen Reagent. — The author of 

 this reagent,! calls attention to the fact that in 



* Crystallized bismuth nitrate, from which all moisture 

 and adhering acid has been removed by drying on filter- 

 paper, is dissolved in a little glycerin and then mixed 

 with water. 



t Spiegler's albumen reagent :• 



Hydrargyri bichlorati 2.0 



Acidi Tartarici i.o 



Aqua Destillatse 50.0 



Glyceriui 5.0 



The reagent is placed in a test tube, and by means 

 of a pipette, a sample of the urine is caused to flow over 

 and form a distinct laver above the reagent. No white 

 cloud or ring should form at the line of contact. 



applying this test for albumen in samples of 

 urine of a very low gravity, its delicacy is con- 

 siderably improved. This may, however, be 

 overcome by the addition of a small amount of 

 a saturated solution of sodium chloride to the 

 urine. This does not exert any solvent action 

 upon the mercury albuminate. The delicacy of 

 the reaction (i to 350,000) may be increased to 

 1 : 1,000,000 through concentration of the urine 

 by evaporation. V. C. 



Losses Attending the Determination of 

 Glycerin in Wines and Hydroalcoholic Liquids. 

 — The methods usually employed for the quan- 

 tatives estimation of glycerin is that of Rei- 

 charts, which consists in evaporating the wine 

 or fluid to dryness with a slight excess of slacked 

 lime, the glycerin is extracted from the residue 

 by washing with a mixture of alcohol and ether, 

 filtering and evaporating the solution. P. Kulisch 

 {Chem. Zeit. No. 23, 1894) has studied the various 

 sources of error arising in this method of deter- 

 mination. First, he estimates the loss of glycerin 

 which takes place in the evaporation of the 

 alcoholic solution, which he finds to be from 3, 

 3 toy, 7 per cent.; if the alcohol is removed by 

 distillation, the loss arises to 13.7 percent. A 

 second loss arises through the difficulty encount. 

 ered in extracting all of the glycerin from the 

 lime residue, particularly in such samples of 

 wines or fluids which contain sugar. In such 

 instances a large amount of lime should be em- 

 ployed, in order that sufficient excess may be 

 present to combine with the sugar, otherwise 

 the latter will be taken up along with the 

 glycerin. Two samples which contain less than 

 3 per cent, of sugar, to 2Gm. of extractive, the 

 author recommends the employment of 1.5 Gm. 

 of calcium hydrate ; and the use of not more 

 than 25 C.c. of alcohol-ether for extraction of 

 the glycerin, otherwise too much of the extrac- 

 tive is liable to be taken up. V. C. 



Thioform. — By the action of monochlorid of 

 sulphur on salicylic acid at 150° C. hydroch- 

 loric acid is evolved and two isomeric dithi- 

 osalicylic acids are formed, 



S— CI. Cg H4 (OH) COOH 

 I -4- = 2HCl-f 



S— CI. C« H4 (OH) COOH 



S— Cg H3 (OH) COOH 



I 

 S— Cg H3 (OH) COOH 



In one, the hydroxyl group is found in the 

 ortho-position to the sulphur, while in the other 

 it is in the para-position. The sodium salts of 

 this are known as Dithion I. and II., respec- 



