432 
ALCOHOL — ITS  ACTION  AND  USES. 
contains  sugar  (glucose).  Ether  left  white  granular  crystals  ; 
alcohol  yielded  microscopic  thin  needles.  They  are  inodorous, 
of  an  acid  reaction,  acrid  taste,  soluble  in  alcohol  and  ether,  and 
gave  from  5  analyses  C70  95,H11.51,017.54=C.32H3o06.  This 
seammonolic  acid  has  the  same  composition  and  properties  as 
Mayer's  jalapinolic  acid,  which  was  obtained  by  this  chemist 
cnly  by  decomposing  jalapic  acid  with  fusing  alkalies  ;  by  acids 
he  obtained  jalapinol,  which  on  combining  with  alkalies,  lost  1 
equiv.  HO,  and  became  this  acid. 
Scammonolate  of  soda  NaO,C32H2905  of  potassa  and  ammonia 
crystallize  in  white  needles  and  are  soluble  in  water  and  alcohol. 
The  results  of  7  analyses  of  scammonolate  of  baryta  and  2  of 
the  lead  salt  agree  with  Mayer's  jalapinolates.  Scammonolate 
of  oxide  of  ethyle  is  obtained  by  saturating  the  boiling  alcoholic 
solution  of  the  acid  with  hydrochloric  acid  gas,  decomposing 
with  carbonate  of  soda,  and  purifying  from  alcohol ;  prepared 
in  the  same  manner  from  the  resin,  the  liquid  contains  sugar. 
The  ether  crystallizes  in  flat  tables,  fuses  at  32-°5  C,  and  shows 
from  3  analyses  the  composition  C72.39,H11.65,015.96 
Seammonolic  acid  treated  with  nitric  acid  of  1-30  spec.  grav. 
yields  crystals,  which  from  their  shape,  solubility,  behaviour  to 
reagents,  and  from  one  elementary  analysis,  are  most  probably 
identical  with  Mayer's  ipomic  acid ;  the  mother  liquor  contains 
oxalic  acid.    Want  of  material  prevented  further  researches. 
The  author  would  consider  the  resin  of  scammony  identical 
with  that  of  Conv.  orizabensis,  but  for  his  obtaining  seammono- 
lic acid  from  resin  of  scammony,  on  treating  it  with  acids,  while 
Mayer's  jalapin  yielded  by  a  similar  treatment,^  first  jalapinol, 
and  jalapinolic  acid  only  after  employing  fusing  alkalies. 
The  author  concludes  with  a  long  and  searching  criticism  of 
Keller's  two  papers  on  the  same  subject. — [Ann.  der  Chem, 
und  PL  xi.  289-323.)  j.  m.  m. 
ALCOHOL— ITS  ACTION  AND  USES. 
The  question  of  the  action  of  alcohol  on  the  system,  and  its 
value  as  a  dietetic  and  therapeutic  agent,  is  now  attracting  much 
attention  both  amongst  the  members  of  our  profession  and  the 
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