9 8 



THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



saturated, aqueous solution of anilin, iooC.c. ; 

 saturated, aqueous solution of orthotoluidin, 

 20 C. c. ; glacial acetic acid, 30 C.c. On using 

 this reagent, any bromides and iodides present 

 are acted upon by the anilin, forming white or 

 colorless compounds, and the action of the 

 orthotoluidin on the chlorides present is not 

 obscured.— Pharm. Jour. Trans., 1894, 71; from 

 Comp. rend., cxviii., 1413. 



Crystallized Aluminium Carbide. — H. Mois- 

 san has prepared, by the aid of his electric fur- 

 nace, a crystallized compound of carbon and 

 aluminium, represented by the formula C 3 AI 4 . 

 The compound occurs in the form of fine, 

 transparent, yellow crystals, attaining a dia- 

 meter of 5Mm. to 6 Mm. in some instances. 

 Their density is 2.36, and the compound requires 

 the highest temperature of the electric arc for 

 decomposition. It possesses very marked re- 

 ducing properties, and slowly decomposes water 

 at the ordinary temperature, methane, CH 4( 

 being evolved. — Comp. rend., cxix. 16. ; P. J. Tr, 



Iodides of Narceine.— G. B. Frankforter de" 

 scribes these compounds. The blue iodide- 

 (C 23 H 2 ,N0 8 ) 3 T 2 +3H 2 0, is formed when narf 

 ceine is treated with an aqueous solution of 

 ioline. Also, by treating crystals of narceine 

 direct with iodine, indigo-blue crystals are 

 formed, which retain the same crystalline form 

 as the narceine. On heating these crystals they 

 change from fine long prismatic needles to short 

 irregular ones. The blue crystals are slightiy 

 soluble in water, soluble with difficulty in 

 alcohol quite insoluble in ether or chloro- 

 form, and melt at I76°-I77°. The red iodide, 

 (C, 3 H 27 N0 8 ) 3 I, is formed by treating narceine 

 with an alcoholic solution of iodine, the greyish- 

 blue product changing to red and losing its 

 crystalline form on standing in the air or gently 

 heating. It melts at 181 , and is insoluble in 

 water, alcohol, or ether. Both iodides are trans- 

 formed into narceine by carefully neutralizing 

 with sodium hydroxide. In the presence of an 

 alkali no iodide is formed from narceine.— Journ. 

 Am, Cheni. Soc, 1894, 361. 



Micro - chemistry of Albuminoids. — De. 

 Wevre concludes an exhaustive communication 

 on the methods employed In micro-chemical re- 

 searches on the albuminoids, by stating that 

 these compounds cannot be localized by any 

 single reagent, a combination being required 

 always. He recommends that sections should 

 be boiled first in water, and then in absolute 

 alcohol, before adding reagents. The best o 

 these for the purpose, arranged in the order o 

 their sensibility, are iodized potassium iodide or 



an aqueous solution of eosine; Millon's reagent; 

 picric, xanthoproteic, or phosphomolybdic acid 

 and Guezda's reaction; Piotrowski's biruet re- 

 action; Reichel and Mikosch's reaction. If all 

 these reagents act, after treatment of the sections 

 with boiling water and alcohol, it is safe to con- 

 clude that proteid substances are present. In 

 Guezda's reaction a concentrated solution of 

 nickel sulphate saturated with ammonia turns 

 yellow or blue with proteid matters, the blue 

 changing to orange yellow on adding caustic 

 potash. Reichel and Mikosch's method is to 

 add to the substance under examination about 

 twenty drops of an alcoholic solution of benzal- 

 dehyde, followed by an excess of sulphuric acid 

 diluted with its own water, and containing traces 

 of ferric sulphate. An intense blue coloration 

 is thus imparted to albuminoids. Absolute 

 alcohol is recommended as the best coagulating 

 medium; and the xanthoproteic reaction is said 

 to be very good for sieve tubes, in place of 

 eosine. It is stated also that the albuminoid re- 

 actions of sieve tubes are not always very intense, 

 and that a large quantity of proteid substances 

 occurs in the growing points of roots and in the 

 laticiferous tubes of various plants, notably 

 Carica papaya. — Pharm. Jour. Trans., 1894, 

 71; from Journ de Pharm. d'Anvers, 1., 209. 



Acids of Beeswax. — T. Marie describes a 

 method for the extraction of the free acids in 

 beeswax, which gives good results if it is ap- 

 plied to mixtures of acids, so long as bodies be- 

 longing to other organic series are absent. Bees- 

 wax, when treated by boiling alcohol, yields to 

 this solvent not only the free acids present, but 

 also hydrocarbons, oleic compounds, coloring 

 matters and myricin, which are difficult to sepa- 

 rate properly. The method adopted for obtain- 

 ing the acids free from these other substances is 

 as follows ; After the wax has been treated by 

 the boiling alcohol the greater part of the latter 

 is subsequently distilled. The cooled and crys- 

 talline residue is then squeezed to separate oleic 

 compounds and coloring matters, after which 

 the solid cake is melted, washed repeatedly 

 with boiling water and further decolorized by 

 charcoal and filtration through paper. The 

 slightly yellow mass thus obtained melts at 

 70 . This, after being heated with potash and 

 lime, is cooled, powdered and mixed with a 

 large quantity of water, which is then heated to 

 ebulition. Dilute hydrochloric acid is then 

 added to neutralize the alkali and the free acids 

 of the wax combine with the soluble calcium 

 salts in the mixture to form insoluble com- 

 pounds. The latter are separated, washed and 



