Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
December,  1917. 
Advances  in  Pharmacy. 
585 
always  be  indicated  whenever  it  is  employed  (/.  Pharm.  Chem., 
1917,  16,  61,  through  The  Pharm.  Jour,  and  Pharmacist,  Sept.  I, 
1917). 
Methyl-red  as  an  Indicator. — Chemically  this  substance  is 
known  as  ^-dimethyl-aminoazobenzene-o-carboxylic  acid,  and  is 
generally  used  in  0.2  per  cent,  solutions.  It  is  much  more  delicate 
as  an  indicator  than  methyl-orange  and  for  this  reason  is  much  more 
desirable  to  use  when  titrating  with  centinormal  acid.  When  car- 
bonates are  present,  heat  is  necessary,  the  carbon  dioxide  liberated 
behaving  like  an  acid.  It  has  been  found  that  for  determining  the 
alkalinity  of  industrial  waters  there  is  no  better  indicator.  Experi- 
ence has  also  shown  that  it  can  be  used  very  successfully  in  the  esti- 
mation of  oxalic  and  picric  acids,  and  for  alkali  borates  and 
cyanides.  The  change  from  red  (acid)  to  yellow  (alkaline)  and 
the  reverse  being  quite  sharp  {Arch.  Pharm.,  1917,  255,  113-119, 
through  The  Pharm.  Jour,  and  Pharmacist,  Sept.  1,  1917). 
Japanese  Artificial  Indigo. — According  to  a  news  item  ap- 
pearing in  one  of  the  recent  pharmaceutical  publications,  a  new 
process  for  the  production  of  artificial  indigo  has  been  discovered  in 
Japan.  Before  the  war  Japan,  like  many  other  countries,  depended 
on  Germany  for  this  most  important  commodity,  but  this  makes  it 
probable  that  she  will  in  the  future  be  able  to  produce  all  that  she 
needs.  The  discoverer  is  Dr.  Kariya,  at  one  time  Professor  in  the 
Medical  College  of  the  Imperial  University. 
In  this  connection  is  may  not  be  amiss  to  remark  that  consid- 
erable work  is  being  done  to  improve  the  indigo  plant  with  the  pur- 
pose of  increasing  the  yield.  It  is  said  that  the  methods  of  manu- 
facture of  indigo  from  the  plant  could  be  much  improved  upon. 
A  New  Reagent  for  Atropine,  Hyoscyamine,  and  Scopola- 
mine.— A  trace  of  either  one  of  these  drugs  warmed  on  a  watch- 
glass  with  a  drop  of  a  solution  of  two  grams  of  /^-dimethylamido 
benzaldehyde  in  six  grams  of  sulphuric  acid  and  0.4  gram  of  water 
gives  an  intense  red  coloration  which  soon  passes  to  a  violet  color. 
Cocaine,  novatropine,  and  tropacocaine  give  no  reaction  at  all. 
Other  alkaloids  give  colors  but  not  the  same  as  the  atropine  group 
(Ztschr.  Anal.  Chem.,  through  Schzveiz.  Apoth.  Zeitung,  Feb.  15, 
1917,  through  The  Pharm.  Journ.  and  Pharmacist,  Aug.  25,  1917). 
Medicinal  Plant  Cultivation  in  Gothland. — It  is  said  that 
this  island  is  ideally  situated  and  that  the  climate  is  comparatively 
