CHEMISTRY. 



223 



The conclusions reached are (1) that the substances a and b are com- 

 pounds of the original caseinogen; (2) that Haininarsteins' theory that 

 there is only one caseinogen in cow's milk is corroborated; (3) that by 

 saturation with sodium sulphate, magnesium sulphate, or common salt 

 the caseinogen is not precipitated in its original form, but is decom- 

 posed into the two substances a and b; and (4) that the caseinogen is 

 precipitated unchanged by acetic acid, and possibly also by saturating 

 with two of the above salts simultaneously. 



Method of drying sensitive organic substances, C. C. Parsons 

 (Jour. Amer. Chcm. Soc. [London], 19 {1897), No. 5, pp. 388, 389). — In 

 making water determinations in organic substances like soap, wood 

 paper pulp, etc., the author proposes to expel the moisture by heating 

 the substance immersed in paraffin oil. A " straight'' paraffin oil is used 

 which is prepared by heating to about 250° C. for some time and then 

 kept in a closed vessel, as it absorbs moisture from the air when 

 exposed. In making the moisture test a quantity of oil equal to about 

 six times the weight of the substance is first heated in a drying oven 

 at 240° C. It is then weighed, the weighed substance in a finely divided 

 condition is placed in the oil, and the whole heated in the drying oven 

 at 240° for a t'ewminutes after the effervescence has ceased. Ordinarily 

 the whole operation may be completed in 20 minutes. 



"The advantages of this process are the quickness with which the operation may be 

 carried out, simplicity of apparatus, ease of manipulation, ami the fact that the 

 snhstanee to l>e dried is perfectly protected from any action of the air by being 

 immersed in a neutral liqnid while heated, so that ii will stand a higher temperature 

 without decomposition, insuring perfect dryness, than would he possible if exposed 

 to the air.*' 



On the determination of potash in Stassfurt salts, C. E. 

 Eg-gertz and L. F. ISTilson [K. landt. ATcad. Handl., 35 (1896), pp. 

 326-356). — Atterberg 1 found considerable discrepancies in the results 

 of potash determinations in potash salts by the official Swedish method 2 

 and the Stassfurt method, 3 the former giving results in one instance 1.8 

 per cent lower than the latter in a series of analyses of kainit, and 2.3 

 per cent lower results in case of double manure salt. The authors made 

 a comparative study of the two methods and subjected them to a criti- 

 cal examination. The average results obtained were as below: 



Percentaf/e of potash in Stassfurt salts. 



The sources of errors in determining potash in Stassfurt salts are 

 considered in detail and at considerable length in the paper. The offi- 

 cial Swedish method for the determination of potash in fertilizers is as 



1 Chem. Ztg., 24 (1896), p. 131 (E. S. R., 8, p. 24). 

 2 Bihang. Svensk. Forf.-Samling, 1895, No. 31. 



