Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
Jan.,  1878.  J 
Varieties, 
35 
number  of  cases.  He  employed  it  with  both  adults  and  children  in  quite  minute 
(1-16  grain)  doses,  frequently  repeated.  He  considers  it  a  perfectly  safe  remedy,  as 
he  has  never  observed  any  ill  effects  follow  its  administration. — Ibid. 
Starch-gloss  was  found  to  be  made  by  fusing  together  60  parts  of  paraffin  with 
40  parts  of  stearin. — Industriebl. 
The  souring  of  milk  during  thunderstorms  is  attributed  by  Dr.  M.  W.  lies  to 
the  formation  of  ozone  and  the  production  of  lactic,  and  most  probably  some  acetic 
acid.  Fresh  milk  introduced  into  an  eudiometer  tube,  together  with  pure  oxygen 
gas,  curdled  very  perceptibly  after  sparks  of  electricity  from  an  ordinary  battery  and 
a  small  Ruhmkorff  coil  had  been  passed  through  the  gas  for  about  ten  minutes. — 
Chem.  News,  Nov.  30. 
The  coloring  matter  of  Tagetes  patula,  according  to  Latour  and  Magnier  de  la 
Source,  appears  to  have  the  composition  C27H22013,  and  while  its  reactions  are  iden- 
tical with  those  of  quercitrin,  it  differs  from  the  latter  in  its  crystalline  form  and 
solubility.    The  authors  proposes  to  call  it  quercetagetin. — Comp.  Rendus,  Nov.  12. 
Water  as  Oxidizing  and  Reducing  Agent.  By  E.  Erlenmeyer. — When  lactic 
acid  is  heated  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  it  is  resolved  into  aldehyd  and  formic  acid. 
In  this  reaction  the  hydrogen  exerts  a  reducing  action  on  the  carboxyl  and  the 
hydroxyl,  an  oxidizing  action  on  the  rest.  As  glycollic  acid  is  decomposed  in  an 
analogous  way,  it  appears  possible  that  the  lowest  homologue,  carbonic  acid,  might 
in  a  similar  way  yield  formic  acid  and  hydrogen  dioxide,  which  would  then  be 
resolved  into  water  and  oxygen.  This  reaction  explains  very  simply  the  exhalation 
of  oxygen  by  plants. — Jour.  Chem.  Soc,  1877,  581,  from  Deut.  Chem.  Ges.  Ber. 
The  Volatile  Acids  of  Croton  Oil.  By  J.  Berendes  {Deut.  Chem.  Ges.  Ber.,  x, 
835-837). — Geuther  and  Frohlich  presume  that  the  tiglic  acid  which  they  found  in 
croton  oil  was  identical  with  Frankland  and  Duppa's  methylcrotonic  acid.  The 
author  has  confirmed  this  statement.  Both  acids  form  plates  having  a  peculiar 
smell  like  that  of  gum  benzoin,  melting  at  640,  and  boiling  at  196 — 1970.  The  cal- 
cium salts  form  small,  foliated,  warty  masses,  and  contain  3  mols.  of  water  ;  the 
barium  salts  are  similar,  but  contain  4  mols.  of  water.  The  silver  salts  are  white 
crystalline  precipitates,  and  the  two  ethyl  ethers  boil  at  154 — 1560.  By  fusing  with 
potash  the  acids  are  resolved  into  acetic  acid  and  propionic  acid.  Bromine  converts 
them  into  a  dibromovalerianic  (dibromomethylethylacetic)  acid,  melting  at  82 — 83°} 
and  hydriodic  acid  forms  moniodovalerianic  acid,  melting  at  86*5°.  They  are  not 
changed  by  the  action  of  sodium-amalgam  and  water,  but  on  heating  them  with 
hydriodic  acid  and  phosphorus  to  1600,  methylethylacetic  acid  is  formed,  boiling  at 
173 — 1750.  and  yielding  an  amorphous  barium  salt. 
