1919] AGRICULTURAL CHEMISTRY AGROTECHNY. 15 



Cinnamon of inferior quality. — A colorimetric method for the determina- 

 tion of cinnamic aldehyde in cinnamon, T. von Felleniiekg (Mitt. Lebcnsm. 

 I utcr.siirii. u. Hyg., ScJnoeie. QandhUamt., 6 (1915), No. 6, pp. 254-266).— True 

 cinnamon of inferior quality has been found to be lacking in cinnamic aldehyde. 

 A colorimetric method for determining cinnamic aldehyde is described which 

 depends upon the color which the aldehyde produces with isobutyl alcohol and 

 concentrated sulphuric acid. 



A colorimetric method for the determination of vanillin in vanilla, T. von 

 Felj.knkkik; (Mitt. Lebcnsm. Untersuch. u. Hyg., Schioeiz. Osndhtsamt., 6 (1915), 

 No. 6, pp. 267-274). — The method is similar to the one noted above for the de- 

 termination of cinnamic aldehyde in cinnamon. It is suggested that the 

 vanillin determination should be made separately in the inner and outer layers 

 of the bean. Normal vanilla shows no great difference in the amounts of va- 

 nillin, inasmuch as the outer layer makes up about 30 per cent of the whole. 



A simple and rapid method for the estimation of alcohol in spirituous 

 liquors, Nagendra Chandra Nag and Panna Lal (Jour. Soc. Chem. Indus., 37 

 (1918), No. 18, p. 290T). — The method consists of treating a known weight of 

 the liquid to be examined in a glass tube graduated in tenths of a cubic centi- 

 meter with an excess of anhydrous potassium carbonate, adding about 5 to 10 

 per cent of water if the percentage of alcohol is above 90. The mixture is 

 thoroughly shaken or centrifuged and allowed to settle. The volumes of the 

 layer of saturated potassium carbonate and of the alcohol hydrate are read and 

 the temperature taken. The percentage of alcohol is calculated from the follow- 

 ing formula, the constants of which have been determined by experiment: 

 Percentage of alcohol=(V+vX 0.00275) [1— 0.0010G8 (t— 15.6)] X 0.7936 X 

 94.06-^\V. V=the volume of alcohol hydrate, v=the volume of saturated po- 

 tassium carbonate solution, t=temperature, and W=the weight of the sample 

 in grams. 



The method is said to be quite accurate, even though not more than 5 cc. of 

 the liquor under examination be used, and to have the advantages that solids 

 in solution do not affect the results, that loss by evaporation is prevented, and 

 that ice is not required even if the temperature be high. 



The detection of methyl alcohol by the Deniges method and its application 

 in the quantitative determination of methyl alcohol in water solution, T. voh 

 Fkllenbeeg (Mitt. Lcbensm. Untcrsuch. u. Hyg., Scluceiz. Clsndhtsamt, 6 (1915). 

 No. 1, pp. 1-24, fiQS- 3). — An application of the Deniges test for methyl alcohol 

 to a quantitative determination of the same is described. 



The colorimetric estimation of cholesterol in blood, with a note on the 

 estimation of coprosterol in feces, V. C. Myers and Emma L. Wakdkt.l (dour. 

 Biol. Chem., 36 (1918), No. 1, pp. 147-156, fig. 1).— A method is described for 

 the colorimetric estimation of cholesterol in blood, in which the blood, plasma, 

 or serunv is dried with plaster of Paris and the cholesterol extracted from it with 

 the solvent (chloroform) employed in the development of the color reaction. 

 The extract of cholesterol treated as described by Bloor (E. S. K., 35, p. 13) is 

 compared with a standardized aqueous solution of naphthol green B in a 

 Duboscq or Kober colorimeter. 



The plaster of Paris is considered by the authors to hold the blood in a finely 

 divided and readily extractable condition and also to hold back substance^ 

 which add to the color development with the Bloor technique. The aqueous 

 naphthol green B is considered superior to chloroform solutions of cholesterol 

 as a standard, as it is moretetable than the cholesterol in chloroform and does 

 not evaporate so readily. Data are given showing that estimations by this 

 method agree closely with those by the Windaus gravimetric method, but are 

 lower than those obtained by the Bloor method. 



