JULY 28, 1899. ] 
The essential oil of orange flowers (Citrus au- 
rantium amaia L. and C. bigaradia Dick) has 
been examined by E. and H. Erdmann, * and 
they find it to contain (0.129 gms. per kilo of 
oil) anthranilic methyl ester. It is supposed 
that the fluorescence of the oil is due to this 
ester. 
Jasmal, or methylene acetal of phenyl-glycol, 
is the name given by A. Verley + to a principle 
which he has made synthetically and which it 
is claimed possesses the characteristic odor and 
other properties of the principal odorous princi- 
ple of jasmine. The West Indian sandalwood 
oil | is recognized by E. M. Holmes as coming 
from a new genus and species of the N. O. 
Rutaceze, and named by him Schimmelia oleifera. 
The oleoresin of Dacryodes hexandra Griseb- 
(N. O. Burseraceze) has been found by A. More 2 
to consist of an essential oil, a resin and a crys- 
talline substance. The oil contains levorota- 
tory pinene and levorotatory sylvestrine. The 
erystalline principle is insoluble in water and 
is only sparingly soluble in strong alcohol, and 
appears to be identical with Personne’s ilicic 
alcohol. 
Gum M’beppe, or Kongosita, has been identi- 
fied by E. Heckel || as the product of Sterculia 
tomentosa Guill et Perrot. It is distinguished 
from tragacanth in that it does not give any 
coloration with iodine and yields 7.24 per cent. 
of ash. 
According to F. C. Newcombe { the enzyme of 
Asperigillus oryze acts with greater intensity 
upon reserve cellulose than upon starch, while 
the enzymes of Lupinus albus and Phenix dacty- 
lifera act so strongly on reserve cellulose and 
so feebly upon starch that they may be regarded 
as cystase rather than as diastase. S. H Vines ** 
has continued his studies on the enzyme of 
Nepenthes and says that, like all the vegetable 
proteolytic enzymes, it is probably tryptic in 
character, being more stable in its nature and 
* Ber. d. D. Chem. Ges., 1899, p. 1213. 
Tt Bull. Soc. Chim., 1899, p. 226. 
{ Pharm. Jour. (London), 1899, p. 53. 
7 Chem. News, 1899, p. 284. 
|| Ext. Rev. d. Cult. Col.; through Pharm. Jour., 
1899, p. 139. 
{| Annals of Botany, 1899, p. 49. 
** Thid., p. 545. 
SCIENCE. 123 
more rapid and energetic in its action than that 
contained in germinating seeds, which it closely 
resembles. 
FOODS AND SPICES. 
AT a recent meeting of the Incorporated So- 
ciety of Medical Officers of Health,* England, 
the following resolutions were adopted: (1) 
‘That the Incorporated Society of Medical 
Officers of Health strongly disapproves of the 
practice of adding preservative chemicals to 
milk and other foods ;’ (2) ‘thatif preserva- 
tive chemicals be added to any food a full dis- 
closure as to the nature and amount thereof 
should be made.’ : 
It is not unusual to find some of the exhaust- 
ed umbelliferous fruits in adulterated pepper, 
but T. F. Hanausek + records for the first time 
the employment of exhausted, coriander to 
adulterate a sample of pepper. 
A. Juckenack and R. Sendtner {| have exam- 
ined the fennel from Germany, Italy, Macedonia 
and Galicia. They find in all cases upon 
placing the exhausted fennel in water that 
the fruits become dark colored and sink, whereas 
the genuine fruits retain their color and float. 
Upon making a microscopical examination 
a marked difference is also observable. The 
author also notes that from 70 to 80 per cent. of 
the fruits of fennel should be capable of ger- 
mination. He has not found any specimens in 
which chrome yellow was used to improve the 
appearance of the fennel, although he has met 
some samples in which ochre had been em- 
ployed. 
The ash of the fruits and seeds of Ellettaria 
cardamomum Maton (N.O. Zingiberaceze) al- 
ways contain manganese. According to W. 
W. Will 2 the ash is found in the following per- 
centage in the different parts: (1) whole seeds, 
3.26; (2) crushed seeds, 3.52 ; (8) pericarp of 
fruit, 5.96 to 6.17; (4) entire fruits and seeds, 
3.84 to 4.22. 
A sample of coffee which had caused symp- 
toms of poisoning in the members of a family 
drinking the infusion was examined by S. 
*The Analyst. 
+ The Analyst. 
t Zeitschr. f. Nahr. u. Genuss., 1899, No. 4. 
4 Chem. News, 1899, p. 167. 
