Am£,Sm'}      Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  133 
this  portion  was  collected  separately  and  after  evaporation  and  igni- 
tion a  white  oxide  was  obtained  which,  on  examination,  proved  to  be 
that  of  a  new  element.  From  50  gm.  oxide  of  nickel  1  gm.  of  this 
white  oxide  was  obtained.  The  reactions  of  this  new  element  are  : 
white  oxide  soluble  in  HC1,  which  solution  on  warming 
is  green  colored,  on  cooling  again  becomes  colorless ;  hydrate  insolu- 
ble in  excess  of  the  alkaline  hydrates,  but  dissolved  by  fused  KOH 
or  Na  OH ;  black  sulphide  in  alkaline  solution,  insoluble  in  ammoni- 
um sulphide ;  oxide  non-reducible  by  H  at  high  temperatures ;  chlo- 
ride is  colorless,  but  traces  of  HC1  gas  cause  a  green  color  which 
disappears  when  dissolved  in  water ;  chloride  forms  with  red  cobaltous 
chloride  a  double  salt  of  green  color. — Ber.  d.  d.  Chem.  Ges.,  1889,  11. 
Areca-nut  contains  three  alkaloids,  arecoline  0 ■  07-0*  1  %,  arecaine 
0*1  and  the  third  one  in  such  small  quantity  that  it  has  not  been 
possible  to  examine  it.  Arecoline,  C8H13N02,  identical  with  Bombe- 
lon's  arecan,  is  an  alkaline,  colorless,  oily  liquid,  soluble  in  water, 
alcohol,  ether  and  chloroform;  it  is  poisonous  and  probably  gives  the  drug 
its  tsenifuge  properties.  Arecaine  C7HuN02-f-H20  forms  permanent 
colorless  crystals  soluble  in  water,  insoluble  in  absolute  alcohol,  ether, 
chloroform,  benzol,  and  appears  to  be  inactive. — E.  Jahns,  Ber.  d.  d. 
Chem.  Ges.,  1888,  3404. 
Amyl  alcohol  of  commerce  is  always  contaminated  with  furfurol  and 
resinous  matter,  and  is  unfit  for  extraction  purposes.  To  purify  it,  it 
is  heated  in  a  steam-bath  with  an  equal  volume  of  sulphuric  acid  for 
eight  hours,  the  color  changing  to  a  black -brown  ;  the  alcohol  is  sep- 
arated, neutralized  with  chalk  and  distilled  in  a  current  of  steam.  By 
repeating  this  process  four  or  five  times  an  almost  pure  amyl  alcohol 
is  obtained ;  perfectly  pure  (free  from  even  traces  of  furfurol)  it  can 
only  be  obtained  by  decomposing  potassium  amyl-sulphate  with  sul- 
phuric acid  after  first  purifying  the  commercial  salt  by  solution  in 
alcohol  and  precipitation  by  a  large  excess  of  ether.  Thus  prepared 
amyl  alcohol  may  be  boiled  for  hours  with  concentrated  sulphuric 
acid  without  assuming  color. — L.  Von  Udranzky,  Ztschr.  f.  physiol. 
Chem.,  xiii,  248. 
Test  for  arsenic. — Fliickiger  in  Arch.  derPharm.,  1889,  p.  1,  critically 
examines  Gutzeit's  test  and  finds  that  it  is  decidedly  more  delicate  than 
Marsh's  test.  The  reaction  is  best  carried  out  by  generating  hydrogen 
from  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  and  zinc  and  allowing  the  gas  after  the 
addition  of  the  arsenic  solution  to  acj:  upon  filter  paper  moistened  with 
