GLEANINGS  FROM  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
417 
GLEANINGS  FROM  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
By  John  M.  Maisch. 
CopalcM  Barh, — Dr.  F.  Mauch,  Jr.,  found  copalchi  bark  of 
commerce  to  be  mi^ed  wnh  not  less  than  20  per  ©ent.  of  other 
barks,  mainly  cinchonas  (China  Tecamez  and  China  Nova  Suri- 
namensis).  The  carefully  picked  bark  contained  of  important 
proximate  principles  4-15  per  cent,  resin  soluble  in  ether,  3*27 
resin  soluble  in  alcohol,  1*52  to  2  per  cent,  copalchin,  a  neutral 
bitter  principle,  -15  volatile  oil,  3*5  protein  compound  and  oxalic 
acid.  The  alkaloid  of  J.  Howard  could  not  be  found,  and  is  re- 
ferred by  the  author  to  the  admixture  of  cinchona,  as  stated  be- 
fore.—  Wittsteins  Viertelj.  Schr.,  1869,  161 — 174. 
Oupido  Bark  of  Venezuela. — Dr.  F.  Mauch,  Jr.,  met  with  a 
bark  under  this  name,  which,  by  comparing  it  with  the  barks 
from  Chili  at  the  Paris  Exposition,  he  pronounced  identical  with 
the  bark  of  Drimys  eJiilensis,  De  C.  The  author  obtained  5*3  per 
cent,  soft  acrid  resin,  -42  volatile  oil,  composition  Cggll^g,  '61 
tannin  turning  iron  salts  green,  4*32  phlobaphen  (red  product  of 
decomposition  of  the  tannin),  6-2  per  cent,  protein  compound 
and  starch,  citric  and  oxalic  acids. — Ibid.,  174 — 183. 
MercuriaUna. — E.  Reichardt  has  again  investigated  the  vola- 
tile alkaloid  obtained  by  him  in  1863  from  Mercurialis  annua 
a.nd  per ennis.  Its  formula,  C2H5N,  is  identical  with  methyla- 
mina,  but  some  of  its  properties,  and  particularly  the  behaviour 
of  several  salts,  are  sufficiently  distinct  from  methylamina  to  en- 
title the  former,  for  the  present,  to  a  distinct  name. — Ibid.,  222 
—230. 
Sinapism. — Wittstein  manipulates  as  follows  to  obtain  the 
sinapism  recommended  in  1868  by  Lebaigue  :  one  part  yellow 
mustard,  from  which  the  fixed  oil  has  been  expressed,  is  digested 
in  four  parts  of  water  for  two  hours  at  a  temperature  not  exceed- 
ing 40°  C,  thrown  upon  a  filter,  and  washed  with  four  parts  of 
water ;  printing  paper  is  steeped  in  the  filtrate,  dried  at  ordi- 
nary temperature,  marked  with  A,  myrosin,  and  preserved  in  a 
dry  place. 
One  part  black  mustard,  freed  from  the  fixed  oil  by  pressure, 
is  added  in  small  quantities  to  four  parts  boiling  water,  the  boil- 
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