THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



73 



Pure d-Coniine. — By A. Ladenburg (Ber. d. 

 Chem. Ges., 27, 858-859). Pure coniine boils 

 at 166-167 and has a specific rotation equal to 

 [a] D = -)- 15. 6°. This number is identical with 

 that given by Schiff (Ann. der Chem. 166,94), 

 whichh as been mistaken by Landolt for the 

 angle of rotation and used by him for the calcu- 

 lation of the specific rotation. 



The platinochloride of this substance is com- 

 pletely soluble in a mixture of alcohol and 

 ether. When its alcoholic or aqueous solution 

 is evaporated, it solidifies at once on cooling, 

 whereas the platinochloride of the impure ma- 

 terial generally remains oily for some time. 



Aq. Menth ?—J. H. Heaf revives the ques- 

 tion as to what should be dispensed for Aqua 

 Menthte. It was the opinion of the members 

 of the London Chemists' Assistants' Association 

 that "aqua mentbae " should be added as a 

 synonym for "aqua menthae piperita^." — Brit, 

 and Col. Drug., 1S75, 130. 



Pill Coatings. — The relative merits of the 

 coatings were considered by H. Dyson, Chem. 

 and Drug., 1895, 210. 



Sulphate of iron pills were taken, and the 

 point of disintegration tested by ferricyanide of 

 of potassium present in the water. Those 

 coated with silver gave ppt. iu 22 minutes; with 

 sandarach in about 25 minutes; with tolu about 

 the same as last; with " pearl " coating in an 

 hour and a half; with gelatine in 1 minute, 10 

 sees. Gelatine was thus the best, and the 

 author scouted the objection raised to it as a 

 coating on the score of the heat used in making 

 the coating. Pearl coating was bad, as the pills 

 had to be made as hard as possible. He recom- 

 mended a one in three solution of gelatine for 

 the coating. Dyson's recommendation of gela- 

 tine-coated pills is not agreed with altogether. 

 Cascara sagrada and aloes were mentioned as 

 ingredients in a pill unsuited to gelatine coat- 

 ing, and his verdict on the effect of heat in 

 making gelatine solution was challenged. 



Pine Tar. — A. Renard finds [Compt. rend., 

 1894, No. 25) that the proportion of guaiacol in 

 the creosote of pine is intermediate between 

 that of the beech and the oak. 



Oil of Cananga. — A. Reichler {Bull. Soc. 

 Chem.; Chem. News, 1895, 65). The density 

 of this oil at 21 is 0.905S and the index of re- 

 fraction n = 1.49655. Its laevo - rotation 

 [a] = — 2S.5 . Its composition is C, 85.68 ; 

 H, 1 1. 81; O, 2 51. Oil of Cananga has a great 

 resemblance to oil of ylaug-ylang, but it is 

 clearly distinguished from the latter by con- 

 taining a much larger proportion of sesquiter- 

 pene. 



Tests in Urinalysis. — In a paper upon " Al- 

 buminaria in Nervous Diseases" {Am. Jour. 

 Med. Sci.. Oct. 1894), prepared by L. C. Gray 

 and A. Zimmerman we find the following use- 

 ful summary of chemical methods employed in 

 urinalysis : 



Millard's and Tanret's Tests as Albumin 



Reagents. 



Tanret's. 



Potassium iodide - — 3-3 2 grammes. 



Mercury bichloride 1.35 



Acetic acid 20 c.c. 



Distilled water-- q. s. 100 



Millard's. ■ 



Carbolic acid fsij- 



Glac. acetic acid 3vij. 



Solut. potassa 3xxij. 



Albumin. {Serum albumin, serum or para- 

 globulin, nucleo-albumin from bile, mucin from 

 bile, mucin from mucous membrane. ) 



Clarifying. — To about one ounce of the urine 

 add about 60 grains of powdered French chalk, 

 shake together, pour upon a four-ply wetted 

 paper filter ; throw away the first portion of the 

 filtrate ; return the following portions until the 

 urine passes perfectly clear. When the speci- 

 men is in an advanced state of mucus fermenta- 

 tion, in which the mucus is so minutely sub- 

 divided by the increased number of bacteria 

 that it cannot be clarified by the above method, 

 then the addition of caustic potassa or soda to 

 strong alkaline reaction without heat, followed 

 by filtration through a wetted double paper 

 filter, will clarify it. It will be necessary to 

 return the filtrate several times before it passes 

 perfectly clear. 



The filtered specimen is divided into three- 

 quarter inch test tubes, filling them about one- 

 third full. To the first add 15 drops of Tanret's 

 test; to the second 15 drops of Millard's test ; 

 to the third 15 drops of acetic acid. The reac- 

 tion should be acid in all the tubes. Heat the 

 three tubes to the boiling point, and while the 

 contents are hot hold them up to a good light, 

 with a strip of black paper or card-board a short 

 distance back of them, about half the way up 

 to the level of the fluids, and note the results. 

 Set aside for thirty minutes, and again heat to 

 the boiling point and note the results a second 

 time. It is important that this length of time 

 elapse before noting the last result, as minute 

 quantities of albumin require this length of time 

 for complete precipitation. The results should 

 be noted directly after heating to the boiling- 

 point, as one of the reagents precipitates all the 

 alkaloids, peptones, and ptomaines, the other 



