460 
VARIETIES. 
Analysis  of  Opium. — Professor  Sacc,  with  a  view  of  preventing  the  in- 
creasing adulteration  of  opium,  proposes  the  following  method  of  analysis  s 
The  opium  is  to  be  cut  in  thin  slices  and  digested  with  ten  times  its  weight 
of  water,  and  then  filtered  through  muslin.  The  solution  is  to  be  exactly 
neutralized  with  ammonia ;  precipitated  by  chloride  of  calcium  and  the  me- 
conate  of  lime  separated  by  filtration.  The  filtered  liquor  has  an  excess 
of  ammonia  added,  is  boiled  and  again  filtered ;  the  residue  on  the  filter  is 
impure  morphia,  and  readily  indicates  the  value  of  the  opium.  The  mother 
liquor  is  treated  with  carbonate  of  ammonia,  to  separate  the  lime,  boiled, 
filtered,  evaporated  to  a  syrupy  consistence  and  digested  with  absolute  al- 
cohol, which  dissolves  the  narceia  and  any  meconia,  leaving  an  insoluble 
residue  of  gum  and  caoutchouc.  That  portion  of  the  opium  insoluble  in 
the  water,  on  boiling  with  absolute  alcohol,  gives  up  its  narcotine. — Bull, 
de  la  Soc.  des  Scien.  Nat.  de  Neufchatel,  V.  2me. 
Extracted  Cantharides. — M.  Wald,  in  speaking  of  cantharidal  collodion, 
mentions,  that  in  consequence  of  frequent  complaints  of  the  inefficacy  of 
this  vesicant,  he  has  ascertained  by  examination  that  packages  of  can- 
tharides from  Italy  and  Hungary  contain  insects,  most  of  which  had  been 
used  in  the  preparation  of  cantharidin,  this  having  been  extracted  by  ether. 
The  fraud  is  not  readily  detected,  as  the  cantharides  acted  on  cannot  be 
distinguished  from  the  others  with  which  they  are  mixed. — Idem. 
Method  of  detecting  Alcohol  in  Ethereal  Oils.  By  A.  Oberdorffer. — From 
two  to  four  drachms  of  the  oil  to  be  examined  are  poured  into  a  flat  glass 
plate,  in  the  middle  of  which  is  placed  a  small  glass  stand  (the  inverted 
neck  of  a  six-ounce  bottle  is  very  suitable  for  this  purpose)  on  which  a 
watch  glass,  with  five  to  ten  grains  of  platinum  black,  is  supported,  and 
the  whole  covered  with  a  glass  bell  open  at  the  top.  After  a  strip  of  moist- 
ened litmus  paper  has  been  laid  over  the  vessel,  containing  the  platinum 
black,  the  operator  observes  the  reaction. 
In  the  course  of  a  few  minutes,  oil,  containing  alcohol,  begins  to  redden 
the  litmus  paper,  which,  in  the  space  of  a  quarter  or  half  an  hour,  is  com- 
pletely accomplished  ;  upon  which,  the  eliminated  vapor  of  acetic  acid  is 
deposited  on  the  interior  of  the  glass  bell  if  the  alcohol  was  present  in  suf- 
ficient quantity,  and  can  be  recognized  distinctly  by  its  odor.  To  remove 
all  doubt,  the  author  washes  the  platinum  black,  after  an  hour  has  elapsed, 
with  a  little  water,  filters,  saturates  the  filtrate  carefully  with  potash,  and 
adds  neutral  chloride  of  iron,  by  which  the  characteristic  color  of  acetate  of 
iron  is  obtained ;  and,  after  boiling,  the  fluid  becomes  decolorized,  and  the 
hydrate  oxide  of  iron  is  precipitated. 
From  a  series  of  experiments,  the  author  concludes  that  it  is  possible,  in 
this  way,  to  detect  the  presence  of  1  to  2  per  cent,  of  alcohol,  and  that  with 
5  per  cent,  the  odor  is  sufficient,  with  most  oils,  to  prove  the  admixture  of 
alcohol.    How  far  this  method  may  be  interfered  with,  by  some  oils  which 
