68 
Chemical  Notes. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharrru 
Feb.,  1887. 
placed  on  such  calculations  to  determine  the  exact  amount  of  turpen- 
tine oil  contained  in  commercial  articles,  as  the  rotatiou  of  turpentine 
itself  varies  so  greatly.  It  should  not  be  supposed  from  the  above 
that  turpentine  oil  has  been  added  as  an  adulterant,  but  merely  that  it 
has  been  insufficiently  acted  on  by  the  acid.  To  reduce  the  rotation 
to  about  one  degree  the  reaction  may  be  conducted  with  comparative 
ease  and  large  yields  ;  but  to  remove  the  last  traces  great  care  must 
be  observed,  and  at  the  same  time  the  yield  is  very  much  reduced. 
Whether  these  articles  are  impure  from  a  lack  of  knowledge  or  a  de- 
sire to  obtain  larger  yields  it  is  difficult  to  say  ;  yet  surely  some  of 
the  samples  purchased  by  us  in  the  open  market  are  bad  beyond  rea- 
sonable limit. 
CHEMICAL  NOTES. 
Abstracts  from  Theses. 
Bryony  root. — Chas.  F.  Heller,  Ph.  G.,  made  the  following  deter- 
minations with  a  specimen  of  the  root  containing  7.5  per  cent,  of 
moisture.  It  yielded  5.5  per  cent,  of  ash,  consisting  of  sulphate, 
chloride  and  carbonate  of  potassium,  sodium,  calcium,  magnesium  and 
aluminium.  The  benzol  extract  amounted  to  0.746  per  cent.,  and  con- 
sisted of  fixed  oil,  waxy  substance  and  coloring  matter.  The  alcoholic 
extract  weighed  15.494  per  cent.,  and  from  it  the  glucoside  bryonin  was 
prepared  by  the  process  of  Walz.  The  aqueous  extraction  contained 
9.360  per  cent,  of  solid  matter,  consisting  mainly  of  sugar,  gum  and 
albumen.  On  continued  boiling  with  diluted  sulphuric  acid  starch  was 
the  chief  principle  taken  up,  the  extract  weighing  49.024  per  cent. 
Caustic  soda  now  dissolved  6.  L  per  cent.,  and  the  residuary  cellulose, 
after  bleaching  and  drying,  weighed  6.506  per  cent. 
The  Ash  of  Pumpkin  Seed,  according  to  John  G.  Marbourg,  Ph.  G., 
amounts  to  3.7  per  cent,  of  the  air-dry  material.  Water  dissolved  from 
the  ash  57.03  per  cent.,  diluted  hydrchloric  acid  39.59  per  cent.,  and 
caustic  soda  2.03  per  cent.,  leaving  1.35  per  cent,  of  insoluble  residue. 
The  ash  consisted  of  carbonate,  phosphate  and  chloride  of  potassium, 
sodium,  calcium,  magnesium  and  iron,  and  silica. 
The  seeds  were  found  to  be  free  from  starch  and  yielded  35  per 
cent,  of  a  reddish  fixed  oil  extracted  by  benzol,  and  3.05  per  cent,  of 
alcoholic  extract. 
Myrrh. — A  sample  of  myrrh  examined  by  Chas.  E.  Escott,  Ph.  G., 
treated  with  alcohol,  left  56  per  cent  of  insoluble  matter.  Maceration 
