Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
April,  1881.  j 
Chemical  Notes. 
17S 
AlkanniUy  the  Coloring  flatter  of  Alkanet-i'ed.  —  Cariielletti  and 
Nosini  have  obtained  this  body  from  the  commercial  color  (from  anchusa 
tincioria)  by  extracting  it  with  dilute  potash  solution ;  this  extract  was 
shaken  with  ether  to  remove  a  reddish  brown  acid^  an  impurity  present 
in  the  alkannin^  obtained  by  Pelletier,  Bolley  and  Weydler.  The  solu- 
tion in  potash,  when  saturated  with  carbon  dioxide  gas,  gives  a  precipi- 
tate of  alkannin  which  was  further  purified  by  solution  in  ether.  It 
is  obtained  as  a  dark  reddish-brown  mass,  with  metallic  lustre  and  is 
sparingly  soluble  in  the  ordinary  solvents ;  it  is  most  easily  soluble  in 
chloroform  and  glacial  acetic  acid.  Its  alcoholic  solution  is  not  changed 
by  exposure  to  light  or  by  continued  boiling.  The  analytical  results 
yhow  its  formula  to  be  0^511^^04,  whilst  Pelletier  obtained  C^^H^qO^ 
and  Bolley  and  Weydler  CggH^oOg  from  their  analyses. 
A  barium  salt  containing  2  atoms  of  barium  to  3  molecules  of  alkan- 
nin is  obtained  by  precipitating  the  alcoholic  solution  with  ammoniacal 
barium  chloride. 
Nitric  acid  or  bromine  in  alkaline  solution  oxidizes  alkannin  to 
oxalic  and  succinic  acids.  Bromine  acts  upon  solid  alkannin  but  not 
on  its  solutions.  Alkannin  appears  to  be  related  to  santalin. — Ibid.^. 
xiii,  p.  1514. 
Aikanet-redy  a  Test  for  Magnesium  Salts. — F.  v.  Lepel  finds  that 
the  coloring  matter  obtained  from  the  roots  of  the  false  alkanet 
(anchusa  tinctorid)  dissolved  in  a  mixture  of  alcohol  (2  parts)  and 
ether  (1  part)  and  diluted  with  water,  exhibits  an  absorption  spectrum 
composed  of  three  bands.  The  violet  colored  solution  produced  by 
the  addition  of  ammonium  carbonate  to  this  mixture  is  changed  to 
blue  by  a  minute  quantity  of  a  magnesium  salt,  and  a  characteristic 
fourth  absorption  band  is  formed.  By  the  test  0*05  mgrm.  in  1  cc.  of 
liquid  can  be  detected. — Jour.  Chem.  Soc,  Feb.,  1881,  p.  62. 
On  the  Physiological  and  Physiologico- chemical  Action  of  Chinolin, 
— The  growing  conviction  of  the  close  connection  of  the  chinolin 
of  coal  tar  with  the  quinia  alkaloids  gives  an  interest  to  all  experi- 
ments in  which  the  relations  of  the  two  are  the  subject  of  examina- 
tion. Allusion  has  before  been  made  (this  Journal,  1879,  pp.  233, 
397)  to  the  study  of  the  oxidation  products  of  chinolin  and  to  the 
identity  of  these  with  the  oxidation  products  of  quinia  and  cinchonia. 
Julius  Donath  has  now  made  a  study  of  the  action  of  chinolin  upon 
the  animal  system  as  well  as  of  the  question  of  its  antiseptic  elfects. 
He  finds  that  chinolin  has  distinct  antiseptic,  antizymotic  and  anti- 
