5 78 ^^^ ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



disposable matter is utilized in the building up paratus loo C.c. of a 5 per cent, solution of car- 



of new tissues, would seem to indicate that bonate of sodium were poured into the tubu- 



these compounds play an important biological lated receiver through a thistle tube extending 



^o\^.—Bot. Centralbl., 1894, .8 beneath the surface of the ether. There was no 



Constitution of Benzene.-^. W. Briihl dis- apparent change in the volume of the ether 



cusses at length the present views on the con- showing the absence of alcoho , and very slight 



• .• ru A \ A ♦i^of T^oV,, effervescence due probably to air or ether 



stitution of benzene and concludes that Keku- ,.,,,. T \ .,., AA^fU^ 



. , ,■ , • , ■ 1. XI. J ui u „^<, „r^ bubbles, showing absence of acidity. After the 



le's formula, in which three double bonds are '^"■j"'", s , , • •. 



. ^ • X, u • • • i„„^^ receiver became perfectly cooled again its con- 

 supposed to exist in the benzene ring is in closer ICI.CIVCI ucv, Y J , . xu 



^^ ^ .^, ^, c ^ ^u r^^ > Ai ^,,oi tents were poure 1 into a tarred separator, the 



agreement with the fact than Claus's diagonal '■-"'•=' ^. , . , , j .1. 



^ 1 I.- 1. • i. A u n„^„^,- TVio aqueous hquid at once withdrawn and the sep- 



formula, which is supported bv V. Baeyer. Ihe h .,,,,,. .^ r *i- .t 



. ■, , ., .1 \. 1 A ^ arator weiehed. Net weight of the ether was 



author considers that the thermochemtcal data araior weigucu. i-iciwcg , , ,, . 



for benzene derivatives obtained by Stohmann "« g^ams, which was 74 8 per cent of the theo- 



and supposed to be evidence strongly support- ^etical yield. Two subsequent trials of the pro- 



, . r Ti • 1 t ^ cess were made, neither of which were satistac- 



ing the views of V. Baeyer are in complete ac- ^cs» wc.c ixa , 



, .,, „, 1., , f„^^„i„ tory or as profitable as the one just described, 



cordance with Kekule's benzene formula. ^^ y f J 



Stohmann's and v. Baeyer's works are discussed It was not convenient to make an assay of 



at length.->?«'. /. prakt. Cheni , 1SQ4, 201. the product at this time. It was mixed with an 



Crystalline Constituents of Colo Bark.-O. equal quantity of alcohol and put away in a cool 



Hesse, on re-examining bis old specimens of cellar. Some weeks afterward, when it was 



cotoin and cotoin acetate, confirms the formulae diluted to the proper strength for the U. S. P. 



Ci i H12 O4 and Ci, II, n O4 (C, H3 O2), of spirit, an assay was made by the official method 



Ciamician and Silbes (see A1.UMNI Journal, and the finished product was found to be \% of 



Sept. 1894), He has also confirmed the mole- the full strength. This deficiency may have 



cuiar' weight by Raoult's freezing point method. been due to some water weighed as ether and 



Hesse believes that the methoxyhydroxyphenyl- to evaporation during the interval, or it may 



coumarin acetate obtained by Ciamician and bave been due to decomposition. 

 Silber when acetylising cotoin was due to im- The numerous washings directed by the 



puritj of their material as he obtained no such Pharmacopoeia are needless and wasteful. The 



compound. Cotoin appears to be dimosphous, first washing is especially wasteful for the rea 

 crystallizing in prisms and plates, both of which son that working with the official quantities 

 yi^ld the same acetate.— i5^r. d. Chem. Ges., there should not be less than 700 C.c. of distil- 

 1894,1182. late, and to wash this with one-seventh of its 



Spirit 0/ Nitrous Ether.— C M. Ford sug- volume of water would in the event of the dis- 

 gests the following improvement upon the U. S. tillate containing very much alcohol render the 

 P. method : aqueous hquid so alcoholic os to cause a large 



Sodium nitrite 136 grams loss ot ether. If it contain a very small propor- 



Sulphuric acid, U. S. P 104 grams tiou of alcohol, as is most probable, it can be 



Alcohol sp.gr. .816 100 grams most effectively washed with about an equal 



"Water 1,000 grams quantity of water containing the alkaline car- 



The sodium nitrite was dissolved in 600 bonate. The use of carbonate of potassium is 

 grams (or C.c.) of the water; this solution mixed also superfluous. The quantity of water which 

 with the alcohol ; the mixture cooled to 10° C, nitrous ether will carry is constant and can be 

 and poured into a half gallon retort, the retort allowed for in making up the oQicial spirit, 

 placed in a bath of the same temperature, the Otherwise the presence of so small a quantity 

 sulphuric acid mixed with the remainder of of water is unimportant. The Allen method of 

 the water (400 C.c.) the mixture cooled to 10° C. assay introduced into the Pharmacopoeia for 

 and cautiously and gradually added to the mix- ease of execution and unvarying accuracy 

 ture in the retort. Distillation begins at once leaves nothing to be desired. Each succeeding 

 and continues sufficiently active throughout. edition of the U. S. P. informs us that sweet 

 By the time the operation has closed the tern- spirits of nitre should not effervesce when a 

 perature of the mixture in the retort will have crystal of bicarbonate of potassium is dropped 

 risen to 26° C. into it. That is as true as Gospel, but if it is a 



Heat may now be applied to the retort with- test for acidity, as is commonly supposed, it is 

 out any apparent effect and probably without ridiculous. If the spirit were as acid as vine- 

 doing any harm. Before disconnecting the ap- gar. it would fail to respond to such a test. It 



