308.  Practical  Notes.  fAnyTour  Pharm. 
(      June,  1881. 
grams  of  water  and  1  gram  of  soda;  a  slowly  separating  soap  will  be 
formed,  while  the  wax  floats  in  the  liqnid.    The  presence  of  lard  is 
indicated  by  the  odor,  the  fatty  touch  and  the  acrolein  odor  on  heat- 
ing to  charring.    10  grams  of  the  wax  are  saponified  by  potash  lye, 
the  soap  is  decomposed  by  sulphuric  acid,  the  clear  supernatant  layer 
is  washed  with  hot  water,  treated  with  litharge  and  afterwards  digested 
with  ether.    On  treating  the  clear  ethereal  filtrate  with  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  a  black  precipitate  will  be  produced,  and  after  complete 
decomposition  and  evaporation  the  residue  will  make  a  greasy  stain  on 
paper.    For  the  detection  of  stearin  one  part  of  the  wax  is  fused 
with  2  parts  of  a  fixed  oil,  this  mixed  with  an  equal  weight  of  water, 
and  a  few  drops  of  lead  acetate  added,  when  white,  very  consistent 
flocks  of  lead  stearate  are  separated. — Chem.  Ztg.,  1881,  p.  303,  304. 
Factitious  saffron,  which  has  been  sold  to  the  confectioners  and 
restaurants  of  Gand,  is  stated  by  Crispo  to  consist  of 
Water,    ......  16-70 
Extractive  matter,  containing  glucose  and  coloring 
matter  of  saffron,  .  .  .  .21*02 
Vegetable  filaments  of  unknown  origin,  .  12*98 
Mineral  substances  (barytine),       .  .  .  49*30 
A  little  tincture  of  saffron  is  mixed  with  barytine,  and  the  mixture 
attached,  by  means  of  a  saccharine  material,  to  the  fibres,  which  are 
from  3  to  4  centimeters  long. — Jour.  Phar.  cVAnvers,  Feb.,  p.  68. 
C.  Kanoldt  has  examined  a  factitious  saffron  which  was  of  a  fine 
red-brown  color  and  strong  odor,  and  thrown  into  water  colored  it 
milky-yellow.  It  was  found  to  consist  of  colorless  threads,  somewhat 
divided  at  the  ends,  which  proved  to  be  an  alga,  probably  fucus  amy- 
laceus,  which  had  been  incorporated  with  a  colored  mixture  of  chalk 
and  honey. — Phar.  Ztg.,  No.  34,  p.  253. 
PRACTICAL  NOTES. 
By  Robert  F.  Fairthokne,  Ph.G. 
Hydro-alcoholic  Tinctures. — Practically,  I  have  found  that  many  of 
these  can  be  prepared  so  as  to  make  very  satisfactory  pre2)arations,  by 
macerating  the  medicinal  ingredients  for  24  hours  in  the  alcohol  alone, 
then  filtering  off  and  mixing  with  the  required  or  an  equal  quantity 
of  water  and  displacing  with  this  mixture.  My  reason  for  preferring 
this  method  is  that  the  alcohol  more  thoroughly  exhausts  the  active  or 
flavoring  ingredient  when  alone  than  it  would  if  mixed  with  water. 
