74 
Glecniln/js  in  Materia  Medica. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharni. 
t      Feb.,  1882. 
ble  in  water,  gives  a  green  color  Avith  ferric  salts,  and  yields  on  dry 
distillation  water  and  catechol,  on  treatment  with  nitric  acid  oxalic 
and  picric  acids,  and  on  heating  with  potassa  solution  phloroglucol 
and  probably  protocatechuic  acid ;  it  is  analogous  to  the  tannin  of 
quebracho  Colorado,  catechu,  etc.  —  Ibid.,  602 ;  Anal.  Soc.  cientif. 
Argent.,  x,  193. 
Chinese  and  Japanese  Nutgails. — C.  Hartwicli  characterizes  four 
kinds  of  these  nutgails  as  follows  : 
A.  Galls  smooth,  flat,  oftenlobed,  with  stomata  and  without  resin- 
ducts  :  Kakrasinghu-galls,  from  Rhus  Kakrasinghu,  Royle. 
B.  Galls  more  or  less  pubescent ;  stomata  absent  or  very  rarely 
present;  resin  ducts  present. 
a.  Galls  slightly  pubescent,  always  unbranched,  roundish-oblongs 
somewhat  plum-shaped,  the  apex  often  prolonged  into  a  short  point, 
and  this  occasionally  curved ;  parenchyma  at  flrst  tangentially  elong- 
ated, but  beyond  the  middle  of  the  shell  radially  elongated;  starch 
granules  unaltered :  pear-galls. 
h.  Galls  very  pubescent,  mostly  branched;  parenchyma  tangentially 
elongated,  internally  only  isodiametric. 
1.  Pubescence  dense,  light-brown;  branches  numerous;  starch 
granules  unaltered  :  Japanese  galls. 
2.  Pubescence  less  dense,  greenish-brown ;  branches  less  numerous 
or  almost  absent;  starch  pasty:  Chinese  gaHs. — Archiv  d.  Phar.y 
July,  1881,  p.  31-34. 
Quebrachitannic  acid,  according  to  P.  N.  Arata,  is  best  prepared 
from  the  so-called  gum  of  the  quebracho  Colorado,  Quebrachia 
{Loxopterygium)  Lorentzii,  Grisebach.  The  gum  is  purified  by  treat- 
ment with  alcohol,  then  dissolved  in  boiling  water,  and  the  hot  filtered 
liquid  set  aside,  the  reddish  deposit  is  collected  on  a  filter,  the  mother 
liquor  precipitated  by  a  mineral  acid  or  by  table  salt,  and  the  precipi- 
tates are  rapidly  washed,  pressed  between  bibulous  paper  and  dried 
over  sulphuric  acid.  The  tannin  is  pale  red,  amorphous,  yields  a  cin- 
namon-colored powder,  is  readily  colored  darker  by  alkalies,  or  by 
prolonged  boiling  of  its  solution,  has  an  astringent  taste,  and  is  insol- 
uble in  carbon  bisulphide,  chloroform,  oil  of  turpentine  and  benzene^ 
Its  aqueous  solution  yields  white  precipitates  with  gelatin,  albumin,, 
alkaloids  and  lead  salts,  the  latter,  on  heating,  acquiring  a  rose  and 
then  a  chocolate  color ;  with  ferric  chloride,  a  green  liquor  is  pro- 
duced, changing  to  dark  red,  and  on  the  addition  of  sodium  acetate,  to 
