272 
Revieics,  etc. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
\      May,  1881. 
iodide  orange-red,  with  phosphotiingstic  acid  liglit-colored  dirty,  witli  pic- 
ric acid  yellow,  with  zinc  acetate  lemon-yellow.  Frohde's  reagent  colors 
red-brown ;  sugar  and  sulphuric  acid  gradually  violet-red,  lead  peroxide 
and  sulphuric  acid  red-brown,  ferric  chloride  (or  sodium  hypochlorite)  and 
sulphuric  acid  yellow,  becoming  carmine-red.  On  boiling  with  dilute 
acids,  sugar  is  produced. 
Beitrdge  zur  Chemie  der  Laubmoose.    Von  Eduard  Treffner.  Dorpat, 
1881    8vo,  pp.  62. 
Contributions  to  the  Chemistry  of  the  (leafy)  Mosses. 
The  author  has  analyzed  Ceratodon  purpureus,  Climacium  dendroides,. 
Dicranum  undulatum,  Funaria  hygrometrica,  Hypnum  splendens,  Mnium 
affine,  Orthotrichum  anomalum,'  Polytrichum  commune,  Schistidium  apo- 
carpum,  and  Sphagnum  cuspidatum.  Of  these,  the  analysis  of  Poly- 
trichum commune,  which  with  one  or  two  allied  species  is  occasionally 
employed  medicinally,  possesses  special  interest.  The  author  found  in  the 
air-dry  moss:  moisture,  lo"62 ;  ash,  2-698,  with  soluble  silica,  '565;  sand, 
■197;  fat,  "8;  chlorophyll  and  wax,  '86;  resin,  "35;  compounds  soluble  in 
water,  9*6  (of  which,  glucose,  o"87 ;  saccharose,  '73;  organic  acids,  1*815; 
tannin-like  compounds, '035;  albuminoids,  '994;  the  balance  being  ammo- 
nia, nitric  acid  and  mucilage);  metarabic  acid,  "95;  albumin,  soluble  in 
soda,  "181;  other  substances  soluble  in  soda,  1*029;  pararabin,  1*18;  other 
substances  soluble  in  HCl,  •595 ;  albumin  insoluble  in  water  and  soda,, 
3*794;  the  remainder  being  lignin,  cellulose,  etc. 
Ueber  das  Verhalten  elniger  Antiseptica  zu  Tabaksinfusbactei'ien.  Von 
Nicolai  Schwartz.    St.  Petersburg,  1881.    8vo,  pi3.  46.' 
On  the  behavior  of  some  antiseptics  to  the  bacteria  of  tobacco  infusion. 
The  investigations  were  made  in  the  laboratory  of  the  pharmaceutical 
institute  of  Dorpat.  The  nourishing  liquid  was  a  solution  of  10  grams 
white  sugar  ciystals,  1  gram  of  ammonium  tartrate  and  0*5  gram  of  potas- 
sium phosphate  in  100  cc.  distilled  water.  20  cc.  of  this  liquid  were  infected 
with  3  drops  of  infusion  of  tobacco,  about  two  days  old  and  turbid  from 
numerous  active  bacteria.  The  most  active  antiseptic  tried  was  picric  acid 
(1  in  10,000  to  15,000) ;  then  followed  iodine,  sodium  borosalicylate,  hydro- 
cyanic acid  and  alumium  acetate  (1  in  5000) ;  oil  of  cinnamon  (1  in  2500) ; 
arsenic  acid,  cinnamic  acid  and  vanillin  (1  in  2000);  chloralhydrate^ 
chrysophanic  acid,  and  rhinacanthin  (1  in  1000);  tannin  and  Peru  balsam 
(1  in  666);  styracin,  camphorated  phenol  (see  "  Amer.  Jour.  Phar.,"  1875,, 
p.  84),  oil  of  cloves,  copaiva  and  gurjun  balsam  (1  in  500).  The  following 
had  to  be  used  in  more  concentrated  form :  gallic  acid,  monobromated 
camphor,  boric  acid,  borax,  magnesium,  mono-  and  di-borocitrate,  benzo- 
helicin,  mongumic  acid,  peonyfluorescin,  zinc  sulphocarbolate,  potassium 
xanthogenate  and  potassium  chlorate.  Glycerin  was  active  only  in  the 
dilution  of  1  :  3,  and  sublimed  sulphur,  magnesium  triborocitrate,  salt 
petre,  chloroform,  salicin,  bile  and  sulphuretted  hydrogen  possessed  only 
a  slight  or  indifferent  activity. 
