112 
GLEANTNGS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
gained,  but  likewise  on  account  of  economy,  the  saving  being  at 
that  time  14  per  cent. — (N.  Jahrb.  d.  Pharm.  xix.  19). 
Test  for  Atropia. — Gulielmo  states  that  a  little  atropia  dis- 
solved in  a  few  drops  of  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  and  heated, 
acquires  a  brown  color,  emitting  at  the  same  time  an  intense 
odor,  resembling  the  flowers  of  oranges  and  Prunu?  spinosa.  The 
odor  is  particularly  evident,  if  a  few  drops  of  distilled  water  are 
added,  as  soon  as  the  brown  color  and  vapors  appear. — (Kuhtze's 
Notizen,  1863,  Oct.  from  Schweiz.  Wochenschr). 
Honey.— Q.  Kraut  induced  Dr.  Kemper  to  feed  bees  with 
commercial  grape-sugar,  and  he  obtained  a  hard  yellowish  white 
honey,  less  sweet  than  ordinary  honey,  which  Roeders  found  to 
contain  nothing  but  dextrogrape  sugar.  Wild  honey  (Heidhonig) 
contained  only  invert  sugar,  that  is  dextrogrape — and  laevo-fruit 
sugar  in  equal  equivalents.  Cuba  honey  was  invert  sugar  with 
some  dextrogrape  sugar  in  excess.  All  three  were  free  from 
cane  sugar.  It  appears,  therefore,  that  the  bees  are  incapable 
of  altering  the  nature  of  the  sugar,  which  they  convert  into 
honey,  unless  indeed  cane  sugar  should  be  split  into  dextrogrape, 
and  lgevo-fruit  sugar.-— (Ibid,  from  Zeitschr.  f.  Chem.  und  Ph. 
1863,  359). 
An  excellent  refrigerating  mixture,  reducing  the  temperature 
to  -30°R.  (-35.5oF)  is  obtained  according  to  Reissig,  by  mixing 
sulphocyanide  of  potassium  with  ice.  The  salt  is  reobtained  by 
evaporation. — (Ibid,  from  Polytechn.  Centralhalle). 
Solid  hydruret  of  Arsenic. — Dr.  Wiederhold  obtains  this  com- 
pound, discovered  by  Davy,  by  dissolving  a  compound  of  five 
equivalents  of  zinc  and  one  of  arsenic  in  diluted  muriatic  acid, 
when  it  remains  behind  in  a  pure  state,  retaining  only  a  little 
charcoal  from  the  metallic  arsenic.  It  is  a  light  voluminous 
powder  of  a  red-brown  color,  resembling  binoxide  of  lead,  yellow- 
ish when  finely  divided,  turning  dark-brown  in  the  direct  sun- 
light, insoluble  in  all  simple  solvents,  decomposed  at  200°  C. 
Ignited  in  the  air,  it  burns  like  spunk  with  a  yellow  color ;  the 
residue  contains  metallic  arsenic,  arsenious  acid,  and  a  little  of 
a  black  body,  containing  some,  very  probably,  unknown  oxide 
of  arsenic.  It  burns  in  fuming  nitric  acid  to  arsenious  and 
arsenic  acids ;  cold  nitric  acid  of  1.20  sp,  gr.  dissolves  it,  form- 
