ORGANIC ANTISEPTICS. 113 



tinuous disinfection and deodorisation of the contents of cesspools 

 and closets was tested by SCHEURLEN (I. and II.). Mention of 

 the foregoing seven antiseptics is only made here for the pur- 

 pose of stating their composition as a matter of interest to the 

 technical chemist. They are, however, unimportant so far as fer- 

 mentation industries are concerned. A derivative of orthocresol, 

 viz., salicylic acid, C 6 H 4 .OH.COOH, is still occasionally used, e.g. 

 for the preservation of jams, to arrest the formation of mould 

 on wine, &c. The time when H. Kolbe (who held the first patent 

 for the manufacture of this substance on a large scale) strongly 

 recommended its employment has long gone by. 



On the other hand, another derivative of cresol, viz., potassium 

 orthodinitro-cresol, C 6 H 2 .(N0 9 ) 2 .CH 3 .OK, finds extensive employ- 

 ment, its explosibility being entirely done away with by the use 

 of a small addition of glycerin, soap, &c. The red pasty mass 

 thus obtained is put on the market, as a patented preparation, by 

 the Bayer Farbenfabrik under the name of Antinounin, this name 

 being given to it on account of its having been first used on a 

 large scale in practice in 1892, for the destruction of the " nonnen " 

 (Mo?iacha) larvae infesting the forests of Bavaria and Wiirttemberg. 

 This paste dissolves in water in proportions up to 5 per cent.,, 

 forming a clear solution, dark yellow in colour and of a soapy 

 smell, possessing no corrosive action and attacking neither metals 

 nor fabrics, but penetrating deeply into wood and other porous 

 substances, and remaining fixed therein without volatilising or 

 imparting any odour to the material. Reports on the applicability 

 of this antiseptic are unanimously in its favour. TH. STETTNER 

 (I.), for example, has drawn up an exhaustive account of its use- 

 fulness in preserving wood employed for building purposes, and 

 it forms a reliable means for the annihilation of the dreaded dry 

 rot in timber (respecting which, it may be casually remarked, a 

 comprehensive monograph has been written by R. HARTIG (I.) ). 

 To prevent the spreading of this fungus, all the woodwork (and 

 especially that forming the floor joists) is treated, by dipping or 

 brushing the ends to be imbedded in brickwork, with a J per 

 cent, (i : 200) solution of antinonnin. Dipping is also recommended 

 for preserving railway sleepers and wood blocks for paving. The 

 latter are at present steeped in creosotic tar, and render the streets 

 malodorous in hot weather by the vapours they evolve. Anti- 

 nonnin will equally counteract putrescence without inconveniencing 

 the olfactory organs. Telegraph posts, fencing, hop-poles and 

 vine-props are treated by setting the butt ends in a 0.5 to i per 

 cent, aqueous solution of antinonnin for a day, whereby they will 

 acquire great powers of resistance against rotting. The packing 

 for spaces between ceilings, for which purpose building waste is 

 generally employed, and which is so often the breeding-ground of 

 pathogenic germs (particularly tetanus bacillus), should be impreg- 

 nated with this disinfectant. Antinonnin is also a very suitable 

 VOL. i. H 



