Amjuij"ril7.arm'}     Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  351 
be  used  for  almost  all  of  the  emulsions.  Resinous  matters  and  balsams 
previously  dissolved  in  alcohol,  essences  and  oils,  may  be  mixed  with 
it  in  the  bottle  itself  without  using  the  mortar.  The  only  defect  in 
this  saccharate  of  casein  is  its  slight  animal  odor,  which,  it  is  believed, 
oan  be  counteracted. 
Gummo-phosphate  of  Calcium. — M.  Sambuc  (Jour,  de  Phar.  ; 
Arch,  de  Phar.,  June)  says  that  the  preparations  in  use  under  the  names 
of  ehlorhydro-,  lacto-,  and  citro-phosphate  of  calcium,  are  not  double 
salts,  but  mixtures  of  mono-calcic  phosphate  with  chloride,  lactate  or 
citrate  of  calcium.  Five  gm.  for  instance  of  the  phosphate  are  usually 
found  mixed  with  six  gm.  of  chloride  of  calcium.  He  proposes  to 
replace  the  hydrochloric,  lactic  or  citric  acids  with  gummic  acid.  As 
is  well  known,  100  gm.  of  arabic  gum  contains  0*97  of  lime,  0'63  gm. 
of  potassa,  and  0'27  gm.  magnesia ;  these  quantities  of  potassa  and 
magnesia  correspond  to  0*78  gm.  of  lime;  100  gm.  of  gum  contains  there- 
fore a  sufficient  quantity  of  gummic  acid  to  combine  with  1*75  gm.  (0*97 
gm.  -j-  0*78  gm.)  of  lime,  and,  consequently  to  render  soluble  10  gm.  of 
bicalcic  phosphate  which  contain  3*50  gm.  of  lime,  of  which  one  half  re- 
mains combined  with  the  phosphoric  acid.  On  these  bases  M.  Sambuc 
proceeds  to  isolate  the  gummic  acid  by  dialysis,  using  300  gm.  cleaned 
gum,  600  gm.  water,  and  24  gm.  ac.  hydrochlor.  at  1*18.  In  two  days 
the  calcium,  potassium  and  magnesium  are  eliminated  by  exosmosis,and 
the  dialyser  contains  only  a  solution  of  gummic  acid.  He  then  takes  66 
gm.  phosphate  of  sodium  (before  efflorescence),  and  40*50  gm.  crystal- 
ized  calcium  chloride,  dissolves  separately  and  mixes.  After  washing 
and  draining  he  mixes  it  while  yet  damp,  with  the  dialysed  solution  of 
gammic  acid  which  dissolves  it  readily.  The  quantities  given,  produce 
32  gm.  bicalcic  phosphate.  The  product  is  feebly  acid ;  it  contains 
gummate  of  calcium  which  advantageously  replaces  the  salts  of  calcium 
mixed  with  the  monocalcic  phosphate  in  the  composition  first  indicated. 
M.  Sambuc' s  preparation  does  not  keep  well.  If  a  method  could  be 
devised  for  making  it  permanent,  the  gummo-phosphate  of  calcium 
might  prove  very  useful. 
Solutions  of  magnesium  citrate  are,  according  to  M.  Reeb 
(Bull.  Com.,  May),  less  likely  to  show  a  precipitate  when  the  carbonate 
is  added  to  the  acid  than  when  the  acid  is  added  to  the  carbonate.  He 
also  gives  a  formula  for  concentrated  citrate  of  magnesium  as  follows  : 
boracic  acid  100,  citric  acid  600,  carb.  magnesium  360,  distilled  water 
4,000.    This,  he  says,  keeps  unchanged  even  in  winter.    It  might  be 
