AGRICULTUEAL CHEMISTEY — AGKOTECHNY. 309 



by the mercuric cWorid method and also from the amount of carbon diosid 

 produced from these acids when treated with concentrated sulphuric acid. 

 From ISO gm. of dog-rose leaves were obtained 0.155 gm. of formaldehyde. 



Action of hydrogen peroxid on g'lycerol, J. Effront (Bui. Soc. Cliim. 

 France, 4. ser., 11 (1912), No. IJf, pp. 7-'/-'/-~-i7 ; abs. in Jour. Soc. Chem. Indus., 

 SI (1912), No. 16, p. 782). — Glycerol is quantitatively oxidized to formic acid, 

 each molecule of glycerol yielding 2 molecules of formic acid. The intermedi- 

 ate products are glyceric acid and glycollic acid. 



The action of phosphates upon the activity of the proteolytic enzyms in 

 yeast, N. Iwanoff (Ztschr. Gdrungsphysiol., 1 (1912), No. S, pp. 230-252). — 

 This work has been previously noted from another source (B. S. R., 27, p. lOS). 



The qualitative and quantitative determination of volatile fatty acids by 

 the steam distillation method, F. Edelstein and F. v. Csonka. (Biochem. 

 Ztschr., J,2 (1912), No. 5, pp. 372-392; abs. in Zcntbl. Biochem. u. Biophys., 13 

 (1912), No. 18-19, p. 728). — By means of various distillation methods described 

 by Welde (E. S. R., 25, p. 413) and fractional precipitation as silver salts the 

 volatile fatty acids can be accurately determined. The method can be safely 

 used for milk, stomach and intestinal contents, and other animal and vegetable 

 substances, providing the material under examination does not contain other 

 substances which react with silver nitrate. 



Conaparative determination of fat by the volumetric and gravimetric 

 methods, O. Wendler (Molk. Ztg. [Hildesheim], 26 (1912), No. 79, pp. lJf91, 

 1492). — These tests, which were made with cheese, showed that the gravimetric 

 method yields results which are 0.5 per cent higher than the volumetric method 

 (acid butyrometric). In the volumetric method 2.5 gm. cheese and sulphuric 

 acid (specific gravity 1.69) were employed. Amyl alcohol was dispensed with. 



Errors in the quantitative determination of cholesterol by Ritter's 

 method: The influence of autolysis upon cholesterol, H. J. Corpee (Jour. 

 Biol. Chem., 11 (1912), No. 1, pp. 37-45). — "A source of error was found in the 

 quantitative estimation of cholesterol by the Ritter method in the fact that the 

 presence of an excess of sodium alcoholate over that necessary for the saponi- 

 fication of the fats and esters prevents a complete extraction of the cholesterol 

 from the salt mixture by means of ether. This error may vary from 5 to 20 

 per cent in the case of a normal tissue when there is an excess of from 1 to 3 

 cc. of a 5 per cent sodium alcoholate solution used in the saponification of 1.5 

 gm. of the alcohol-ether extract. The Ritter method for the quantitative deter- 

 mination of cholesterol in tissues should be used only with certain restrictions 

 and precautions in mind. 



" No marked change was found in the amount of cholesterol present in the 

 dog spleen after in vitro and in vivo autolysis of short duration. The steer 

 spleen contains about 0.4 per cent of its moist weight as cholesterol." 



Estimation of cholesterol by the Kumagawa-Suto and Windaus methods, 

 A. Mayer and G. Schaeffeb (Convpt. Rend. Soc. Biol. [Parisl, 72 (1912), No. 9, 

 pp. 362-364; abs. in Zentbl. Expt. Med., 1 (1912), No. U, pp. 625, 626).— The 

 authors found that a combination of these two methods would yield the best 

 results. 



The estimation of small quantities of essential oils and spices, etc., J. A. 

 Brown (Analyst, 37 (1912), No. 432, pp. 88-90). — Continuing previous work 

 (E. S. R., 24, p. 512), the author reports some further results with the essen- 

 tial oU from coriander, cardamom, rosemary, eucalyptus, anise seed, bay, 

 juniper berries, cedar, sandalwood, origani, black pepper, and pimento. 



Quantitative determination cf lactic acid in the presence of protein 

 substances, J. Mondschein (Biochem. Ztschr., 42 (1912), No. 2-3. pp. 105-123; 

 abs. in Zentbl. Biochem. u. Biophys., 13 (1912), No. 18-19, p. 729).— The lactic 



