CHEMISTRY. 515 



oues gave less. At 160° C. the formation of ether stops, sulphurous 

 acid is evolved, and decomposition takes place. The same results are 

 obtained with propyl alcohol. With isobutyl alcohol decomposition 

 takes place at 120° to 135o C. In the case of isoamyl alcohol the decom- 

 position occurs at 100<^ C. By mixing the alcohols the authors obtained 

 mixed ethers by the same treatment as with single alcohols. By mixing 

 methj] and ethyl alcohols in molecular proportions, they obtained 

 methyl-ethyl ether in large quantity, together with methyl ether and 

 ethyl ether. Applied to ethyl and propyl alcohols, the corresponding 

 ethyl-propyl ether was obtained. But a mixture of ethylic and isobu- 

 tylic alcohols did not give ethyl-isobutyl ether, and methyl-isoamyl 

 etlier was not obtained from the corresponding alcohols. The conclu- 

 sions of the authors are that the method of continuous etherificatiou 

 is only applicable in the case of simple ethers, and does not work with 

 those containing more than three atoms of carbon. {Am. Assoc. Adv. 

 Science, Philadelphia meeting.) 



Liquid Paraffin a Reagent for detecting Water in Alcohol, Ether, and 

 Chloroform, by L6on Crismer. — The new German Pharmacopoeia treats 

 of a little-known substance called " liquid paraffin." It forms an oily 

 liquid, consisting of a mixture of hydrocarbons of the methane series, 

 boiling, under 6""" pressure, between 215° acd 240° C. 



This substance mixes in all proportions with chloroform and ether 

 when they are deprived of water by means of sodium, and forms clear 

 solutions; but the slighest trace of water, or of alcohol containing water, 

 renders the liquid turbid ; hence the liquid paraffin forms a delicate test 

 for water in alcohol. Direct experiments show that by it ^ J^j volume 

 of water can be detected in alcohol. It forms a useful reagent for recog- 

 nizing absolute alcohol. Liquid paraffin readily dissolves chlorine, bro- 

 mine, and iodine, and colorless phosphorus to a less degree. The author 

 uses the substance in question in the preparation of hydrobromic and 

 hydroiodic acids, as well as of iodide of ethyl. The fact that it is not 

 volatile is of great advantage. {Berichte d. chem. Ges., xvii, 049.) 



Glucose. — In response to a request made by the Commissioner of In- 

 ternal Revenue of the United States, a committee of the National Acad- 

 emy of Sciences, consisting of Profs. • George F. Barker, William H. 

 Brewer, Wolcott Gibbs, Charles F. Chandler, and Ira Eemsen, has 

 published an exhaustive report on glucose. The letter of the Commis- 

 sioner called for information " as to the composition, nature, and prop- 

 erties of the article commercially known as 'glucose' or 'grape-sugar'; 

 its saccharine quality as compared with cane sugar or molasses; and 

 also especially as to its deleterious effect when used as an article of food 

 or drink, or as a constituent element of such articles." Accordingly 

 the report gives details concerning the history, manufacture, and use of 

 starch-sugar, with statistics showing the magnitude of the industry; 

 it also describes the nature of the commercial products, and narrates 



