Am"juner-i&7arm'}    Practical  Notes  from  Various  Sources.  291 
PRACTICAL  NOTES  FROM  VARIOUS  SOURCES. 
By  the  Editor. 
Automatic  filtration. — A  simple  contrivance  for  this  purpose  is  de- 
scribed by  Prof.  Dr.  O.  Billeter,  in  Chemiker  Zeitung,  1887,  p.  509. 
The  liquid  is  put  into  a  bottle  which  is  closed  by  a  twice  perforated 
cork.  Into  one  opening  a  syphon 
is  inserted,  the  outer  arm  of  which 
is  not  much  longer  than  the  inner 
one,  and  ends  in  the  funnel.  A 
straight  tube  open  at  both  ends  is 
inserted  through  the  second  open- 
ing, and  its  lower  end  is  placed  on 
a  level  with  the  height  of  the  li- 
quid to  be  reached  in  the  funnel. 
The  syphon  is  filled  by  carefully 
blowing  through  the  straight  tube, 
after  which  filtration  proceeds 
without  further  attention.  Obvi- 
ously the  liquid  may  be  heated  or 
the  funnel  connected  with  a  vacu- 
um pump. 
The  apparatus,  variously  modi- 
fied, is  an  old  one,  but  does  not 
appear  to  be  used  as  frequently  as  it  deserves  to  be. 
A  new  acid  in  urine  has  been  observed  by  Dr.  Kirk  (Brit.  Med. 
Jour.).  It  was  prepared  by  washing  the  concentrated  urine  with 
ether  to  remove  resin-like  compound,  then  adding  to  the  urine  dilute 
hydrochloric  acid,  again  shaking  with  ether  and  evaporating.  The 
prismatic  crystals  had  a  strong  aromatic  odor,  and  a  brown  color,  but 
shining  colorless  needless  could  be  seen  scattered  here  and  there.  Dr. 
Kirk  proposes  to  call  it  urrhodinic  acid.  In  its  behavior  to  solvents  and 
in  some  of  its  reactions  (Fehling's  solution,  ferric  chloride,  etc.)  it  resem- 
bles Dr.  Marshall's  glycosuric  acid  (see  Amer.  Jour.  Phar.,  March, 
1887,  p.  1 3  L-136),and  seems  to  be  identical  with  the  latter,  but  in  a  still 
impure  condition.  It  appears  to  be  a  decomposition  product  of  a  nitro- 
genated  body,  which  the  author  is  engaged  to  prepare  in  a  pure  state. 
Tyrotoxicon,  the  poisonous  compound  isolated  from  certain  cheeses, 
milks  and  creams  by  Prof.  V.  C.  Yaughan  (see  Amer.  Jour.  Phar., 
1886,  p.  342  and  452)  has  been  further  studied  by  him  and  F.  G. 
