AmjS'i902arm*}    Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  297 
of  a  biscuit  or  roll,  each  bread  containing  I  gramme  of  a  bromide 
salt.    (Pharm.  Centi  alhalle ,  1902.) 
Another  proposed  novelty  is  serum  bromatum.  This  consists  of 
6  grammes  of  sodium  bromide  and  1-5  of  sodium  chloride  to  1000 
of  sterilized  distilled  water.  It  is  said  that  quantities  of  500  or 
more  may  be  injected  without  risk  or  injury,  in  the  same  way  that 
normal  salt  solution  is  used  for  transfusion. 
Serum  iodatum  is  the  corresponding  solution  of  an  iodide,  but  is 
apparently  made  up  of  entirely  different  proportions.  The  formula 
given  for  this  is  as  follows  :  Sodium  chloride,  6  grammes  ;  sodium 
iodide,  2  grammes;  sodium  sulphate,  2  grammes;  to  1000  of  water. 
This  serum,  used  as  mentioned  above,  has  been  tried  with  success  in 
the  treatment  of  syphilis.    {L  Union  Pharm.,  1902.) 
RECENT  LITERATURE  RELATING  TO  PHARMACY. 
MODIFICATION  OF  BETTENDORF'S  ARSENIC  TEST,       SOLUBILITY  OF 
STANNOUS  CHLORIDE  IN  ETHYLIC  ETHER. 
In  course  of  an  analysis  of  an  unknown  substance,  Mr.  de  Jong, 
apothecary  in  Amsterdam,  discovered  that  stannous  chloride  is 
soluble  in  ether.1  He  proceeded  to  make  good  use  of  his  discovery 
in  modifying  Bettendorf's  well-known  test  on  arsenic.  As  all  of  us 
have  a  more  or  less  troublesome  experience  with  the  peculiarities  of 
this  test,  it  seems  to  be  a  valuable  improvement.  Instead  of  mixing 
the  fluid  to  be  examined  with  the  reagent  (no  need  to  go  into  details) 
and  waiting  for  a  somewhat  vaguely  defined  coloring  of  the  mixture, 
de  Jong  overlies  the  unknown  liquid  with  the  acidulated  (HC1) 
ethereal  solution  of  stannous  chloride  and  obtains  a  contact  ring 
(as  in  HNO3  reaction  with  ferrous  salts). 
De  Jong  furnished  the  final  touches  on  some  incomplete  literary 
information.  Neither  he  nor  your  referent  knows  of  a  distinct  state- 
ment. Credit  is  due,  however,  to  Roscoe  and  Schorlemmer,  Vol.  3, 
Part  I,  p.  335,  where  they  say :  ethylic  ether  dissolves  many  inor- 
ganic compounds  .  .  .  ferric  chloride  (especially  valuable  to  the 
apothecary  for  his  tinctura  nervina  Bestuch),  mercuric  chloride,  pla- 
tinum chloride,  several  other  chlorides  And  on  page  337, 
various  metallic  chlorides  form  compounds  with  ether.    One  of  the 
1  Ph.  Weekblad,  March  2?,  1902. 
