Am  .Toni".  I'liarm,  | 
July, 1881.  j 
Pi'actical  Notes. 
361 
infasioD  of  buck-bean  was  j)recipitated  by  alcohol,  the  washed  precip- 
itate dissolved  in  water,  and  the  solution  divided  into  two  parts,  one 
of  whicli,  after  being  mixed  with  simple  syrup,  gelatinized,  while  the 
other  remained  fluid.  The  infusion,  precipitated  by  alcohol,  was 
freed  from  alcohol  by  moderate  heating  and  diluted  with  water  to  its 
original  bulk  ;  it  now  retained  its  fluidity  in  the  presence  and  absence 
of  sugar.  The  removal  of  the  ])ectin  compound  by  alcohol,  therefore, 
prevents  the  gelatin ization  of  this  and  probably  also  of  other  infusions. 
—Fhar.  Ztg.,  1881,  No.  34,  p.  253. 
Teding  of  Peru  Balsam. — A.  Doescher  proposes  to  digest  2  gm.  of 
the  balsam  with  10  gm.  of  petroleum  benzin,  and  to  evaporate  30 
drops  of  the  clear  benzin  solution  upon  a  watch  crystal.  Pure  Peru 
balsam  leaves  a  colorless  oily  residue,  which  on  being  mixed  and  gen- 
tly heated  with  5  drops  of  commercial  nitric  a(Md,  acquires  a  yellow 
€olor.  If  the  balsam  be  adulterated  with  10  per  cent,  of  storax,  the 
residue  on  treatment  with  B[N()3  turns  greenish-blue  and  finally  dirty 
green-yellow ;  the  same  color,  but  clearer,  is  obtained  with  a  balsam 
containing  10  per  cent,  of  colophony.  If  Grote's  test  be  applied  (agi- 
tating 3  drops  of  the  balsam  with  2  cc.  of  officinal  ammonia  water), 
the  sample  containing  rosin  yields  an  emulsion  with  thick  and  lasting 
foam,  and  gradually  becomes  thick,  mostly  gelatinous.  The  emul- 
sion-like mixture  from  the  balsam  containing  storax  hgis  a  thin,  rap- 
idly disappearing  foam  and  does  not  become  thick  or  gelatinous. — 
Fhar.  Ztg.,  1881,  No.  32,  p.  238. 
Testing  of  Bwtter. — Hehner's  process  ("  Amer.  Jour.  Phar.,'^  1878, 
p.  257),  was  modified  by  O.  Ditsch  in  the  weighing  of  the  isolated 
fatty  acids  after  melting  them  together  with  a  known  quantity  of  wax, 
washing  with  water  and  drying.  T.  Salzer  observed  that  in  this  way 
too  high  figures  are  obtained,  but  that  by  remeltiiig  the  mixture 
twice  with  6  parts  of  water,  all  the  soluble  fatty  acids  are  removed. — 
Ibid.,  No.  23,  p.  170. 
Lubricating  Mixture. — Mignet  de  la  Vega  proposes  the  following: 
Melt  together  60  kilos  of  castor  oil  with  10  k.  of  animal  fat  and  20 
k.  of  vegetable  oil,  such  as  rape-seed  or  cotton-seed  oil,  add  20  k.  of 
grain  meal  and  boil  for  30  minutes. — Les  Corps  Gras  Industr.,  vii, 
211 ;  Chem.  Ztg.,  No.  16,  p.  209. 
Laundry  Starch. — Dr.  J.  Gantter  has  examined  three  samples  of 
laundry  starch  (Glanzstiirke)  with  the  following  results  : 
