THE ALUMNI JOURNAL. 



205 



THE HOST RECENT WORK. 



Polystichic Acid. — Poulsson, of Christiania, 

 who worked for some time on the acids of 

 Aspidium filix mas and A. allamanticum, has 

 again examined two ferns — Asplenium filix 

 fcemina, with little result, and Polystichum 

 spinulosum, in which he found an active acid. 

 The dried and chopped up roots (or rhizomes) 

 are extracted with ether, and the extract is 

 shaken with diluted baryta water, and the alka- 

 line solution is separated from the ethereal 

 layer. The ether taken up by the water is 

 driven off by an air current, and the solution is 

 filtered, acidified with HCL, and the resulting 

 precipitate is dried and dissolved in ether and 

 alcohol. After purification, this body, poly- 

 stichic acid, forms yellow needles, melting at 

 123 , of the formula C 22 H 24 0.,. A second acid, 

 melting at 150 , of the formula C 2 ,H 26 9 , and 

 forming yellow crystals, is also obtained, which 

 the discoverer names dihydropolystichic acid. — 

 Apotheker-Zeitung . 



Tussol. — This body, which was introduced 

 recently as a new remedy, and described in 

 various ways, appears actually to be a com- 

 pound of phenylglycollic acid and antipyrin, of 

 the formula: 



OH 



C.H.CH; 



C n H 12 N 2 



COOH 



—Journal der Pharmacie d' Elsass. 



Methylene Lactate. — This body, the first 



known representative of this class of esters, is 



prepared by allowing equimolecular quantities 



of lactic acid and polymerized formaldehyde to 



stand in a warm place for some time, and then 



distilling. The body probably has the formula : 



CO-O 



I >CH 2 

 CH 3 — CH— O 



The compound forms a colorless liquid of 

 specific gravity 1. 197. It boils at 153 C. Its 

 melting point is 28 . It possesses a strong odor 

 and a sharp taste, and is insoluble in water, 

 but breaks up into its constituents on warming 

 with it. Silver nitrate is strongly reduced by 

 it. — Comptes Rendu s, Brit. Col. Dr. 



Ferratin. — The following details are given of 

 the preparation of ferratin. 100 grammes of egg 

 albumen are placed in a mixture of 21 C.c. of 

 water and 70 C.c. of solution of caustic soda (10 

 percent.). 20 grammes of tartrate of iron are 

 dissolved in water, and, if acid, as it generally 

 is, it is neutralized with sodium carboaate. The 

 two solutions are mixed and left for five or six 



hours, and then transferred to the water bath. 

 The black coloration, due to the formation of 

 sulphide of iron, will disappear towards the end 

 of the process. After cooling, tartaric acid is 

 added to faint acidity. The precipitate formed 

 is dissolved by the addition of a little ammonia, 

 and excess of this is driven off by exposure to 

 the water bath. It is then filtered, and when 

 the filtrate is cold, the ferratin is precipitated 

 by a solution of tartaric acid, which should only 

 be added in just sufficient quantity. It is filter- 

 ed off, washed with water, alcohol and ether, 

 and dried. —Journal de Pharmacie d'Anvers. 



Truxillinic Acids.— These acids, of the for- 

 mula (C 9 H s 2 ) 2 , are derivatives of the truxil- 

 ine s, bases existing with cocaine in coca. 

 They are, in fact, cocaines in which the radical 

 of benzoic acid is replaced by that of truxillinic 

 acid. A truxillinic acid forms fine needles 

 soluble in alcohol, and melting at 276 .— 

 Merck 'sjah res be rich t . 



On the Detisity of Helium. — M. Langlet, who 

 is occupied in the University of Upsala on the 

 study of helium, has lately determined its den- 

 sity. The gas extracted from cleveite was freed 

 from hydrogen by passing it over oxide of cop- 

 per heated to redness, and from nitrogen by 

 means of metallic magnesium. It did not con- 

 tain argon. Its density was found to be 0.139 

 (air=i), or 2 02 (hydrogen=i ). — Chem. News. 



Cyanic Ethers and Nitrites oj the Alcohols. — 

 Albert Colson has exposed to the sun a mixture 

 of washed ether and cyanogen chloride. The 

 product was methane. On exposing the same 

 mixture to the sun during the whole of summer, 

 he obtained an isomer, very stable. The author 

 has further obtained cyanal acetate, propionate, 

 and proplycyanal acetate. — Chem. News. 



Luteol : — a new Indicator. — This substance is 

 recommended by Dr. W. Autenreith as an in- 

 dicator in alkalimetry {Arch. d. Phar., 233, p. 

 43). It is insoluble in water, but dissolves 

 readily in alcohol. For analytical purposes, a 

 solution is made containing 1 gramme in 300 C.c. 

 of rectified spirit and of this solution three, and 

 at the most eight drops are used at a time. The 

 luteol solution gives a yellowish color with al- 

 kalies, and is even more sensitive to ammonia 

 than Nessler's solution. For example, a single 

 drop of ammonia solution was mixed with a 

 litre of water, and to 5 to 10 C.c. of this mix- 

 ture a few drops of the luteol solution was ad- 

 ded, the result being an evident yellow color, 

 while Nessler's solution only showed a reaction 

 after a short time. L,uteol|reacts similarly with 

 fixed alkalies, but does not react with free 

 acids. 



