324 
ON  SACCHARATED  OXIDE  OF  IKON. 
sand.  The  fraud  consists  in  carbonate  of  lime,  or  chalk,  colored 
-with  some  organic  coloring  matter,  which  is  duller  than  that  of 
saffron,  and  aids  in  preventing  its  ready  detection  by  the  eye. 
The  author  supposes  the  adulteration  to  be  formed  into  a 
paste,  probably  with  honey,  by  which  it  is  fixed  on  the  surface 
of  the  stigmas,  sometimes  singly  and  sometimes  coherent  in 
bundles  of  five  or  six  filaments. 
When  kept  very  dry  portions  of  the  paste  separate  and  are 
detectable.  Of  three  samples,  obtained  from  different  druggists, 
M.  Blachez  has  found  from  12*5  to  16  per  cent,  of  carbonate  of 
lime,  which,  in  connection  with  the  vehicle  and  moisture,  make 
probably  20  per  cent,  in  all. 
The  chalk  is  easily  washed  out,  precipitates  to  the  bottom  of 
the  macperating  vessel,  and  can  readily  be  recognized  by  its  effer- 
vescence with  muriatic  acid  and  its  reaction  with  oxalic  acid. 
Jour,  de  Phar,,  Avril,  1869. 
ON  SACCHARATED  OXIDE  OF  IRON. 
By  S.  Siebert,  of  Gottingen. 
Two  parts  of  iron  are  dissolved  in  24  parts  of  nitric  acid,  of 
specific  gravity  1*2  ;  the  filtrate  is  evaporated  to  15  parts  ;  when 
quite  cool  12  parts  of  sugar  are  dissolved  in  the  liquid,  and  an 
excess  of  a  solution  of  12  parts  of  sugar  in  12  parts  of  20  per 
cent,  water  of  ammonia  is  added."^ 
The  mixture  is  dark  brown,  at  first  gelatinous,  but  after  agi- 
tation becomes  thinner  and  clearer,  and  contains  then,  besides 
nitrate  of  ammonia  and  an  excess  of  sugar,  the  combination  of 
sugar  with  ferric  oxide.  This  compound  is  precipitated  by  mix- 
ing, after  24  hours,  the  clear  liquid  with  4  or  5- times  its  volume 
of  strong  alcohol.  The  yellowish  brown,  flocculent,  not  very 
voluminous  precipitate  is  collected  upon  a  filter,  washed  with 
*  If  the  sugar  was  dissolved  in  the  warm  iron  solution  oxalic  acid 
would  be  formed,  which  would  afterwards  be  precipitated  by  the  alcohol 
as  oxalate  of  ammonia,  and  render  the  preparation  poisonous.  Instead 
of  20  per  cent,  water  of  ammonia,  which  during  the  solution  of  the  sugar 
would  lose  much  gas,  it  appears  advisable  to  dissolve  the  sugar  at  a  low 
temperature*  in  the  officinal  10  per  cent,  water  of  ammonia — Wittstein. 
