CHEMISTRY 375 



authors (7 to 14 parts of glycerol to 100 parts of alcohol) are too nar- 

 row. Many pure wines contain as little as 5.5 parts of glycerol to 100 

 parts of alcohol. He also says that some wines may be adulterated 

 by the addition of 2 to 3 per cent of alcohol or 0.5 per cent of glycerol, 

 without the possibility of its being detected.— w. i), ukjelow. 



Sugar and acid content of Victoria musts and their relation to 

 the alcohol content of Victoria wines, W. P. Wilkinson {Proc. 

 Boy. Soc. Victoria, 1894, pp. 89-118 ; ahs. in Ghem. Centhl., 1891, V, 

 pp. 259, 539). — The author says the alcohol content of Victoria (aud 

 all Australian) wines is one half greater than iu French or German 

 wines. Of course the same proportion exists between the musts of the 

 different countries in the percentage of sugar. The amount of acid is 

 about equal in the musts of Victoria and France, but is greater in those 

 of Germany. — w. d. bkielow. 



Comparison of sodium carbonate, sulphate, and phosphate for 

 removing the excess of neutral or basic lead acetate from clari- 

 fied solutions poor in sugar, A. Boiintk,a(1er {Ztaehr. aiujeic. Chem. 

 1894, pp. 451-1(11). — Only a slight excess of sodium carbonate or 

 hydrogen di sodium phosphate is necessary to remove the excess of 

 lead from nuists, wines, and other solutions poor iu sugar, which have 

 been clarified with either neutral or basic lead acetate, and the precipi- 

 tation is complete in 1 hour. A large excess of the carbonate redis- 

 solves a slight amount of the lead, but this is not true of the phos- 

 phate. Sodium sulphate in slight excess precipitates ueutral lead 

 acetate completely in 1 hour, though a large excess leaves a trace of 

 lead iu solution for a nuich longer time. When basic lead acetate has 

 been used, the precipitate obtained with sodnim sulphate is only com- 

 plete after 24 hours. Although the precipitate obtained with sodium 

 sulphate is not as comi)lete as those obtained by the other salts exam- 

 ined, aud it requires a longer time for its formation, it is to be preferred, 

 since it leaves a ueutral filtrate. — w. D. bigelow. 



Precipitation of lead from clarified ^vine and must, A. Bokn- 

 TRAGER {Ztschr. ciiigew. Chem., 1894, pp. 554-559). — The author com- 

 pares sodium sulj)hate aud sodium carbonate as reagents for the 

 removal of the excess of lead from clarified wine and must. He states 

 that in using the latter serious errors may result from its effect on the 

 rotatory power of invert sugar, while the former is not open to this objec- 

 tion. He also prefers sodium sulphate on account of the greater ease 

 and rapidity with which its precipitate may be washed. — w. d. bigelow. 



Application of physical methods to the examination of beer, 

 J. Regensburger {Forsch. n. Lebemmtl., 1, j)]). 317-219 ; ahs. in Ghem. 

 Genthl., 1894, II, p. 132). — The author finds that the freezing point of 

 beer whicih has been freed from carbonic oxid by shaking is lower than 

 that of an aqueous solution containing the same amount of alcohol and 

 extract. This is due to the presence of nitrogenous matter, which is 

 precipitated on the distillation of the alcohol. Too high a figure is also 



