GLEANINGS  FROM  FOREIGN  JOURNALS.  207 
posed  to  air  and  light  for  a  certain  time.  This  chloroform 
becomes  acid  and  emits  white  irritant  vapors  which  consist  almost 
wholly  of  chlor-oxycarbonic  acid. 
According  to  M.  Personne  this  acid  is  not  formed  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  chloroform  itself,  but  of  chlor-oxjcarbonic  ether, 
which  it  fortuitously  contains. 
This  ether  boils  at  93°  F.,  whilst  pure  chloroform  boils  at  140°. 
When  such  impure  chloroform  is  shaken  with  caustic  potassa 
this  ether  is  destroyed  ;  the  point  of  ebullition  is  steady  at  140° 
F.  and  the  chloroform  becomes  permanent.  It  is  therefore 
essential  to  rectify  such  chloroform  from  caustic  potassa  before 
using  it  for  surgical  purposes. — Jour,  de  Chim.  Med,  Jan.^  1869. 
Chemical  composition  of  Canauha  Wax. — A  paper  on  this  sub- 
ject by  N.  S.  Maskelyue,  M.  A.,  was  read  before  the  Chemical 
Society  Jan.  21st.  This  wax  is  produced  by  a  palm,  the 
Copernicia  cerifera,  known  to  the  Brazilians  as  the  Canaiiba 
tree.  The  glaucous  coating  of  the  younger  leaves  contains  the 
wax,  each  leaf  affording  about  50  grains.  It  is  collected  and 
melted  into  a  mass  of  a  greenish-yellow  color. 
Its  specific  gravity  is  0*99907,  its  melting  point  183°  Fahr. 
and  it  yields  044  p.  ct.  of  ash.  The  crude  wax  was  saponified 
by  boiling  it  with  an  alcoholic  solution  of  potassa  containing  one- 
sixth  of  alkali,  until  clear,  the  alcohol  distilled  off  and  the 
residue  precipitated  by  neutral  acetate  of  lead  of  a  yellow  color. 
The  liquid  portion  was  evaporated  to  dryness  and  extracted  by 
ether,  which  removed  the  wax  alcohols.  By  repeated  crystalli- 
zation from  ether  the  melissin  was  obtained  in  a  state  of  purity. 
Besides  melissin  and  cerotin  the  author  isolated  another  wax 
alcohol,  fusing  at  105°.  The  author's  experiments  did  not  satis- 
factorily determine  all  the  constituents.  (Chem.  News,  Jan.  29.) 
Ammoniacal  Extract  of  Valerian  in  Capsules ^  by  M.  Danntcy. 
— Under  this  name  the  author  suggests  a  soft  extract  made  from 
valerian  by  the  agency  of  ammoniated  alcohol.  100  parts  of 
valerian  in  powder  is  placed  in  a  percolator,  and  a  mixture  of 
80  parts  of  alcohol  of  60  per  cent.,  and  20  parts  of  liquor 
ammonia  (22°),  poured  upon  it.  When  this  has  disappeared  the 
percolation  is  continued  with  alcohol  of  60  per  cent,  until  a 
