226 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [September 21, 1872. 
the box was placed, in the chamber the heat indi¬ 
cated was 350° Fahr. At this point smoke issuing 
from the box revealed that the cotton was now 
in a state of active combustion, and on removing it to 
the free access of air, it burst into flame. In another 
similar experiment the temperature rose more slowly, 
but reached 280° Fahr. in 105 minutes, when, from the 
appearance of smoke, it was plain that the cotton was 
burning, and the whole mass was soon in a flame on 
being placed in a current of air. On a smaller scale I 
tried a quantity of the oiled cotton that just filled a 
common lucifer match-box; within an hour it was on 
fire, the temperature of the chamber being 166° Fahr. 
Raw Linseed Oil , as generally supposed, does not so 
readily set fire to cotton as the boiled oil, but in two ex¬ 
periments where the size of the box employed was 6^ in. 
by 4£ in. square in the ends active combustion was 
going on in the one case in five and the other in four 
hours. 
Rape Oil , put up as in first experiment on boiled lin¬ 
seed, resulted, in two trials, in the box and cotton being 
found in ashes within ten hours. The box being put up 
at night, the result was only observed in the morning. 
In one trial I did not get the cotton to ignite in six 
hours ; the chamber in the cases of this oil and raw lin¬ 
seed was kept about 170° Fahr. With the five following 
nils, at a little over 132° Fahr., the quantity of waste 
used was loosely packed in a paper box holding about 
the sixteenth of a cubic foot. 
Gallipoli Olive Oil. —The two trials made with this oil 
gave closely similar results ; in one case rapid combus¬ 
tion was going on in a little more than five, and in the 
other within six, hours. 
Castor Oil. —I found the oxidation of this oil to proceed 
so slowly that only on the second day I found the interior 
of the box to be a mass of charred cotton. Its sp. gr. 
(•963) is remarkably high, and its chemical nature very 
distinct from the other vegetable oils I have tried, which, 
no doubt, has some intimate connection with its slow 
oxidation. 
I have tried three oils of animal origin with effects very 
distinct and instructive. 
Lard Oil, an oil of an ordinary sp. gr., viz., *916, pro¬ 
duces rapid combustion in four hours. 
Sperm Oil , which has a sp. gr. of only ’882, and is not 
a glyceride, showed its unusual chemical character by 
refusal to char the waste. 
Seal Oil , which has a strong fish-oil odour, not unlike 
the sperm, but a sp. gr. of ’928, produced rapid ignition in 
one hundred minutes. Comparing raw linseed with lard 
and seal oils, it would appear that the statement is not 
altogether correct, that drying oils are more liable to 
spontaneous combustion than non-drying oils. I have 
also some reason to believe that the rate at which oxida¬ 
tion takes place does not chiefly depend on the presence 
of small quantities of oxyotized or other easily putre- 
fiable matters, but rather on the particular olein. How¬ 
ever, further inquiry on this point is necessary. I have 
made at least two experimenta with each oil, and have 
got remarkably uniform results. The ignition of the 
cotton can be calculated on for any oil, with about the 
same certainty as the point at which sulphur or other 
combustible material takes fire when heated in the air. 
So that the term spontaneous combustion may be objected 
to for the same reason that Gerhard objects to sponta¬ 
neous decomposition produced by oxidation. The heavy 
oils from coal and shale, being chiefly the higher olefines, 
have a remarkable effect in preventing this oxidation, 
undoubtedly by giving a certain protection from the air. 
Mixtures of these oils with 20 per cent, rape gave no 
indication of heat whatever at 17° Fah.; and even seal 
oil, with own bulk of mineral oil added to it, did not, at 
135°, reach a temperature sufficient to char the cotton. 
The author hopes that these remarks will lead to a more 
■elaborate inquiry into this subject, both for scientific and 
practical purposes. 
PRELIMINARY NOTE ON “GUARANINE.” 
BY JOHN WILLIAMS, F.C.S. 
The fruit of the Paulina Sorbilis is made up into rolls 
by the Indians of Para, in South America, and is by 
them called “Guarana.” Its infusion is used as a 
beverage, and within a few months has been introduced 
into medical practice, and recommended as a remedy for 
sick headache. 
Dr. Stenhouse some years back examined guarana, 
and isolated the crystallizable principle, which he named 
guaranine, but considered it to be identical with caffeine 
or theine. 
I considered it a matter of interest to prepare some of 
this substance, and first proceeded to do so by the process 
given by Stenhouse, but found it troublesome, and the 
result not so satisfactory as might be desired. This led 
me to adopt the following process, which I found in every 
way satisfactory. 
Guarana reduced to a fine powder, is mixed with one- 
third of its weight of hydrate of lime, and moistened 
with water. After an hour or two it is placed in a drying 
closet, and completely dried at a moderate heat. This 
is exhausted with boiling benzole, filtered, and the ben¬ 
zole distilled off’, when a small quantity of light-coloured 
oily matter is left. This is treated with boiling w'ater, 
and the whole digested over the water-bath until all 
traces of benzole have been dissipated, then filtered 
through a wetted filter so as to keep back the oil; the 
aqueous portion evaporated to a small bulk, and set on 
one side for 24 hours, yields the guaranine white and 
pure, in fact requiring no further purification of any 
kind. I have tried the process upon tea, and it appears 
to answer, but have not yet finished my experiments in 
that direction. As far as appearance goes, guaranine 
appears to be identical with theine and caffeine, but the 
author suspects it will be found to be rather more soluble 
in water, and not quite so bitter in taste as the above- 
mentioned bodies.— The Chemical News. 
THE BRIGHTON ASSOCIATION OF PHARMACY. 
At an adjourned meeting of the chemists and druggists 
of Brighton, W. D. Savage in the Chair, held qt the 
Town Hall, on Friday evening, September 13th, it was 
resolved that the balance from the Pharmaceutical Con¬ 
ference Fund of £25, held by Mr. Glaisyer, the Trea¬ 
surer, be a reserve fund, to be applied (as contingencies 
may arise) for Pharmaceutical purposes. 
Mr. Brew, as President, Mr. Schweitzer, as Secretary, 
and Messrs. Cornish, Gwatkin and Savage, members of 
the old Chemist and Druggists’ Association, resigned 
their respective offices, having first assigned over the 
sum of £20 for the safe keeping of the Treasurer, Mr. T. 
A. Brew, and Mr. Thos. Glaisyer, and to be used in such 
way as they and the old Sub-Committee may from time 
to time determine. 
It was then moved by Mr. Mathews (at Mr. Colby’s), 
and seconded by Mr. W. H. Smith:—That a new Asso¬ 
ciation be formed, to be called “ The Brighton Associa¬ 
tion of Pharmacy,” consisting of an Executive Com¬ 
mittee of twelve (six principals and six assistants); and 
ballot for names having been taken, the following was 
the result:—Messrs. Brew, Colby, jun., Cornish, Ettles, 
Savage and Schweitzer, principals; and Messrs. Gwatkin, 
jun., Higham, Mathews, Pick, Purvis, and W. H. Smith, 
assistants, who on the motion of Mr. Barton, seconded 
by Mr. Higham, were elected the first Committee. 
It was further resolved that Mr. W. D. Savage be 
President, and Mr. Mathews, Secretary. 
The sum of £2. 2s. was voted by the old Committee to 
meet a few preliminary expenses. A vote of thanks to 
the Chairman concluded a very satisfactory meeting. 
