THE ALUMNI 



30 percent. 53 between 5 and 20 per cent., and 

 only five below 5 per cent. 



2. The average amount of ash yielded was 

 found to be 26.9 per cent., the lowest figure ob- 

 tained being 0.8 per cent.; the highest, however, 

 reached 65.6 per cent. Twelve samples yielded 

 over 40 per cent, of ash, 27 between 30 and 40 

 per cent., 11 between 20 and 30 per cent., 14 be- 

 tween 5 aud 20 per cent., and eight less than 5 

 per cent., of which two yielded less than 1 per 

 cent. 



In the results obtained by E. J. Millard, when 

 examining some samples of araroba a short 

 time ago, it is stated that the ash varied from 

 9 16 percent, to 21.6 per cent., and in a pre. 

 vious paper by the same author, the ash in 

 one instance was found to be 28.6 per cent. 



Upon examination of the ash it was found to 

 be of a gritty nature, and composed principally 

 of silica and a small proportion of ferric oxide 

 and aluminia. From this, therefore, he draws 

 the very unsatisfactory conclusion that araroba 

 is largely adulterated with sand. 



3. The chr} sarobin figures obtained were as 

 follows: Average percentage, 25.7 percent., 

 the highest yield being 73.25 per cent., and the 

 lowest 2.65 per cent (the sample yielding this 

 small amount of chrysarobin contained 6.27 per 

 cent, moisture, 65 6 per cent, ash, and a large 

 amount of wood). Of these results, 10 samples 

 yielded over 50 per cent., seven between 40 and 

 50 per cent., three between 30 and 40 per cent., 

 16 between 20 and 30 per cent , 25 between 10 

 and 20 per cent., and 11 less than 10 per cent. 

 The average yield of chrysarobin is a very low 

 one compared with that obtained by Attfield in 

 his original investigation, and also considerably 

 lower than that obtained more recently by 

 Duncan, and it tends to show that araroba is 

 not only wilfully adulterated but is very care- 

 lessly collected. 



The chief use for araroba in England is for 

 preparing chrysarobin and the so-called chry- 

 sophanic acid. From the examination of many 

 trade samples of this latter substance he finds it 

 is nothing more or less than the chrysarobin as 

 specified by the British Pharmacopoeia, and 

 containing only small proportions of chry- 

 sophanic acid. 



Chrysophanic acid has a definite chemical 

 composition, and can be obtained from many 

 other sources besides araroba; therefore it 

 would be much more satisfactory if the name 

 were reserved for the true substance, and not 

 applied to chrysarobin. Evidently araroba is 

 extensively adulterated and carelessly collected; 



JOURNAL. 97 



and the application of the proper names should 

 be made to the different products of Audita 

 araroba, and that araroba orgoa powder should 

 be reserved to designate the crude drug; chry- 

 sarobin, the product obtained by solvents from 

 araroba; and chrysophanic acid, the product ob- 

 tained either by the oxidation of chrysarobin or 

 from other sources, and having the formula 

 C i5 H 10 O 4 .— Brit. andCol. Dtug., Jan. 18, 1895. 

 Crystallization of Syrup. — Carles ( Rip de 

 Pharm., 1894, 539), says that syrups will either 

 keep intact as the case with syrups of chloral, 

 cherry -laurel, etc., or they will ferment as in the 

 case of syrups of ipecac, opium, violets, fruit 

 syrups, etc.; or they will crystallize, and then, 

 as they have, so to speak, lost part of their 

 sugar, are considered easily liable to alteration. 

 This idea is, however, found to be incorrect. 

 Carle's experience is that syrup can easily be 

 supersaturated with sugar, and that when left at 

 rest and in a cooler place than that in which 

 they were prepared, they deposit the excess of 

 sugar and return to their normal state and leave 

 properly saturated syrup. In the author's ex- 

 perience this is the sole cause of the phenom- 

 enon of separation of the crystals in such cases- 



Approximative Determination oj Albumin 

 in Urine.— In cases where it is not essential that 

 the determination of albumin in urine should be 

 very exact, Rossler recommends a volumetric 

 method which can be carried out very readily, 

 and give results that are comparable. Into a 

 test tube containing a mixture of 5 C.c. of acetic 

 acid and two or three drops of poiassium ferro- 

 cyanide solution (1 to 10), the urine to be tested 

 is poured through a funnel, so as to form a layer 

 on the surface. When albumin is present a white 

 zone is formed, which is proportionate in thick- 

 ness to the amount of albumin, and the indica- 

 tion thus afforded in from ten to thirty minutes 

 may be taken as a measure of the relative pro- 

 portion of albumin in the urine. — Apoth. 

 Zeit.y 1894, 563. 



Test for Chlorides.— Villiers and Fayolle find 

 that a still more delicate test than the one they 

 recently proposed for chlorides consists in 

 substituting orthotoluidin for the aniline 

 previously recommended. A sharp reaction 

 is then obtained with less than 1/10 

 Mgtn. of chlorine, a fine blue coloration result- 

 ing, and changing to a reddish-violet on the 

 application of heat or cold. The reaction is, 

 however, not sharply defined from that given 

 by bromides under similar conditions, unless 

 aniline also be present. The following formula 

 is therefore given for the reagent :— Colorless. 





