196 Extracts from Berzelius's Annual Report for 1843. 



Succinic Acid. — M. Ronalds has produced succinic acid by prolonged 

 action of nitric acid upon wax, and also by the action of the same acid up- 

 on spermaceti. In this latter case, adipinic and pimilinic acids are form- 

 ed ; but by a continued action of the nitric acid, both of them may be 

 converted into succinic acid. 



Angelicic Acid. — M. Buchner, Jr. (Buchner's Report, XXVI, 263) 

 has discovered in the root of the Angelica archangelica, a new 

 acid which he has called angelic acid, and which resembles valeric 

 acid. 



Opianic Acid. — MM. Wohler and Liebig (Ann. der Chem. und 

 Pharm. XLIV, 126) have discovered a new vegetable acid, which is the 

 product of the action of dilute sulphuric acid and oxide of manganese 

 upon narcotine. It is called opianic acid. 



Neio Acid from Sugar. — M. Malaguti (L'Institute, No. 450, p. 279) 

 has found that when starch sugar is heated in a solution of acetate of 

 copper to a temperature between 80° and 100° cent, so that the oxide 

 of copper is precipitated, there is a disengagement of carbonic acid 

 and the formation of a new acid. 



Preparation of Quinine. — M. Calvert (Journ. de Chim. et de Pharm. 

 II, 388) has called attention to the solubility of quinine in lime water 

 or the milk of lime, which is the reagent ordinarily used to precipitate 

 the bases from their combination with the hydrochloric acid used to ex- 

 tract them from the bark. He proposes to avoid this inconvenience by 

 almost saturating the hydrochloric acid with carbonate of soda, driving 

 off the carbonic acid, and precipitating with caustic soda, which dissolves 

 hardly a trace of quinine. In this manner a much larger quantity of 

 quinine is obtained, and this excess more than repays the cost of the re- 

 agent. Lime water does not dissolve cinchonine, and therefore may 

 be used to detect the presence of it in quinine, taking care to use a con- 

 siderable portion of lime water. 



Quinoline. — M. Gerhardt (Journ. fiir Pr. Chem. XXVIII, 76) has ex- 

 amined the reaction of potash upon several of the vegetable bases aid- 

 ed with a high temperature, and he has found that a volatile and olea- 

 ginous base is produced, which is called quinoline. 



Cinchovatine. — M. Manzini (Ann. de Chim. et de Phys.) has discov- 

 ered in the bark of the Cinchona ovata a new vegetable base, which he 

 has called cinchovatine. 



Bleaching Oils.—M. Payen (Jour, de Chim. Med. VIII, 121) had de- 

 scribed a method in use in England for bleaching palm oil, which is ap- 

 plicable to all oils that do not easily become rancid. It consists in pla- 

 cing a thin coat of the oil upon the surface of water contained in flat 

 vessels, and maintained at a temperature of 100° cent, by means of a 

 tube communicating with a boiler ; the oil is at the same time exposed 



