5(32  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  {AmNov.r,"i889arm 
For  obtaining  the  green  coloring  matter  pure,  the  alkaline  residue 
left  by  ether  as  above  is  purified  by  treatment  for  several  days  with 
ether-alcohol  (1:1)  and  afterward  absolute  alcohol ;  the  insoluble 
portion  is  dried,  covered  with  ether  alcohol  (10  :  1)  to  which  phos- 
phoric acid  is  added,  the  solution  is  dehydrated  with  CaCl2,  evapo- 
rated and  the  residue  purified  by  redissolving  in  ether-alcohol 
(10  :  1).  This  pure  chlorophyll  forms  a  lustrous,  brittle  mass,  which 
is  insoluble  in  water,  benzol  and  carbon  bisulphide,  difficultly  soluble 
in  ether,  easily  in  alcohol.  It  possesses  the  nature  of  an  acid  and 
contains  nitrogen  and  iron  ;  it  dissolves  in  alkalies,  also  in  acids  form- 
ing with  HC1  a  blue-green,  with  H2S04  a  pure  green  solution.  The 
solutions  differ  from  the  plant  extracts  in  being  less  sensitive  to 
exposure  to  light. 
Hansen  has  also  found  the  yellow  coloring  principle  of  flowers  to 
be  combined  with  fats  and  was  able  to  prepare  some  in  crystalline 
form  after  saponification;  by  a  spectoscropic  examination  the  colors 
obtained  were  identical  with  the  one  from  chlorophyll.  Carotin  also 
appears  to  be  an  identical  substance. — (D.  Naturw.  Rdsch.),  Pharm. 
Centralhalle,  1889,  540. 
Salicyl-sulphonic  acid,  a  test  for  albumen.  If  a  solution  of  this 
acid  is  added  to  an  albumen  solution  a  white  precipitate  insoluble  in 
water  is  obtained ;  the  filtrate  tested  with  other  albumen  reagents 
fails  to  respond,  showing  the  completeness  of  the  precipitation.  Direct 
experiments  show  that  as  little  as  0*0005  gram  albumen  in  10  cc.  solur 
tion  can  be  detected  by  a  faint  turbidity.  To  test  its  applicability  in 
urine  examinations,  normal  urine  and  solutions  of  uric  acid,  pep  ton 
and  glucose  were  tried,  but  gave  negative  results.  It  is  applied  by 
taking  10  cc.  urine  and  adding  5  cc.  of  a  20  per  cent,  solution  of 
the  salicyl-sulphonic  acid,  the  albumen  being  indicated  by  an  imme- 
diate precipitate  or  turbidity. — Georg  Roch,  Pharm.  Centralhalle, 
1889,  549. 
Benzoic  acid,  prepared  synthetically  from  toluol  and  sublimed 
from  a  small  addition  of  gum  benzoin,  has  been  sold  for  some  time 
as  benzoic  acid  from  benzoin.  From  its  preparation  such  an  acid 
always  contains  small  quantities  of  chlorbenzoic  acid,  which  impurity, 
and  hence  the  source  of  the  acid,  can  easily  be  ascertained  if  a  little  is 
ignited  with  potassium  carbonate  (free  from  chloride),  extracting  the 
residue  with  water,  and  testing  for  chloride  by  addition  of  silver  nitrate 
and  nitric  acid. — G.  and  R.  Fritz,  Rdsch.,  1889,  840. 
