^'"jin'^iSr™^'}       Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals,  13 
GLEANINGS  FEOM  THE  FOREIGN  JOURNALS. 
By  Frederick  B.  Power. 
Russian  Quinia.  By  Dr.  J.  Biel. — A  product  bearing  the  name 
of  N.  N.  Frolow  stated  as  being  produced  in  Moscow,  has 
recently  been  placed  in  the  market  and  has  met,  in  Russia,  ^vitli 
a  considerable  sale.  It  is  offered  in  one  ounce  bottles,  and  from 
its  non-captious  appearance  of  light,  voluminous  white  flocks,  consist- 
ing of  small  crystalline  needles,  would  tend  to  lead  the  unwary  to  the 
belief  that  Russian  quinia,  in  alliance  with  Russian  pepsin  and  Russian 
tannin,  was  now  about  to  enter  in  successful  competition  with  the  pro- 
ducts of  other  countries.  The  author,  under  the  conviction  of  having 
a  really  serviceable  preparation,  applied  the  standard  of  officinal  test 
with  ammonia  and  ether,  but  was  greatly  surprised  to  obtain  instead  of 
two  perfectly  clear  layers  of  liquid,  a  thick,  white  magma,  which,  even 
upon  the  addition  of  five  times  the  amount  of  ether  first  applied,  would 
not  become  clear.  A  solution  of  0'5  gram  of  the  salt  in  10  cc.  95 
per  cent,  alcohol,  tested  in  the  polarization  apparatus,  produced  a  devia- 
tion of  the  ray  of  light  5*6°  to  the'right,  instead  of  the  rotation  to  the 
left  as  proper  to  quinia.  The  thalleioquin  reaction  was  feeble,  but 
clearly  shown;  with  nitrate  of  silver  an  abundant  precipitate  was  pro- 
duced, and  with  chloride  of  barium  only  an  opalescent  turbidity.  By 
its  combustion  on  platinum  foil  no  ash  was  left  behind. 
On  drying  at  100°C.  the  appearance  of  the  crystals  was  not  changed 
and  but  6*6  per  cent,  of  hygroscoj^ic  moisture  was  given  off. 
A  quantitative  examination,  with  a  proper  consideration  and  correc- 
tion made  for  the  amount  of  alkaloid  remaining  in  the  filtrate  and 
wash  liquid,  as  given  by  E.  Johanson  and  Hielbig,  gave  the  following 
result:  Quinia  11*01,  cfnchonidia  5*56,  quinidia  17'68,  cinchonia  41*80 
per  cent.  These  amounts  when  calculated  for  the  hydrochl orates  give : 
quinia  salt  13*48,  cinchonidia  salt  6*54,  quinidia  salt  20*66,  cinchonia 
salt  51*64,  moisture  found  6*60  per  cent — total  98*92  per  cent. 
As  is  seen,  the  preparation  in  question  is  a  mixture  of  alkaloids  "cor- 
responding to  the  substance  long  known  under  the  name  of  Quinetwm. 
While,  however,  De  Vrij,  from  six  varieties  of  commercial  quinetum 
obtained  65*16,  34*72,  72*79,  84*86,  70*00  and  57*63  per  cent,  of  tar- 
trate precipitate,  the  preparation  examined  yielded  but  17*12  per  cent., 
proving  it  to  be  very  inferior,  as  was  also  evident  by  its  rotatory  power, 
for,  as  De  Vrij  states,  a  good  quinetum  always  rotates  to  the  left. 
