— 59 — 



expressed the supposition that the soluble Monarda ferment may be 

 identic with ^-katalase of Low 1 ). The temperature at which the ferment 

 is destroyed lies about 74° to 7 8°. 



Mustard Oil, genuine. The material was supplied in the first 

 place by India, next by Russia, which latter country also placed large 

 parcels of mustard -seed cakes freed from fatty oil on the market. 

 It is well known that the fatty oil is used in Russia for purposes of 

 nutrition. In the Italian province of Puglia, according to a report 

 from the German Consul at Bari, the mustard production diminishes 

 from year to year owing to the competition from India. Moreover, 

 the harvest was injured by heavy rainfall. Dutch mustard, which for 

 many decades has served chiefly as material for mustard oil, is now 

 out of the question for this purpose as the price is too high. 



Artificial mustard oil has completely corrupted the trade in genuine 

 oil, and offers are now met with, which almost approach the prices 

 of artificial oil. Whoever buys at such prices in the belief of pur- 

 chasing genuine oil, commits a first class act of self-deception. 



To the proposals for modifying the directions for the determination of 

 mustard oil mentioned in our last Report 2 ), is now added one by Vuil- 

 lemin 3 ) who occupied himself specially with K. Dieterich's estimation- 

 method. The difference between the working methods lies chiefly only 

 in the temperature of the water employed, and in the duration of the 

 action; the author also recommends the addition of a small quantity 

 of alcohol to the ammonia present in the receivers, in order to prevent 

 the passing over of the mustard oil into the second receiver. Vuil- 

 lemin prefers the factor 0,4301 instead of 0,4311, in view of the 

 fluctuating content of carbon disulphide, cyanallyl, and sosulphociyanallyl 

 in the oil. The determination of mustard oil in mustard seed is accord- 

 ingly carried out in the following manner: — 



5,0 gm. mustard seed are triturated as finely as possible, placed 

 in a round flask of 200 cc. capacity, mixed with 100 cc. tepid water 

 (2 5 to 30 ), and left standing well closed for an hour, with frequent 

 agitation. 20 cc. alcohol are then added, the flask connected with a 

 Liebig's condenser, an Erlenmeyer flask of 200 cc. capacity with 

 30 cc. ammonia liquor and 10 cc. alcohol, and about half the contents 

 distilled over whilst the condensing tube is immersed in the liquid. 

 The Erlenmeyer flask used as condenser is connected with a second 

 flask containing ammonia liquor and alcohol, in order to prevent any 



x ) U. S. Dept. of Agr. Report No. 68, 7. 



2 ) Report April 1904, 63. 



3 ) Pharm. Centralh. 45 (1904), 384. 



