458 
V arieties. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t      Sept.,  1878. 
other  action  than  the  formation  of  mercuric  iodide,  yet  in  presence  of  alcohol  an 
■explosion  always  takes  place  in  30  or  40  minutes,  preceded  by  evolution  of  nitrogen, 
and  sometimes  separation  of  mercuric  chloride.  In  presence  of  chloroform  or  amyl- 
alcohol,  gas  is  evolved,  but  no  explosion  occurs. 
The  author's  process  for  preparing  nitrogen  iodide  consists  in  treating  a  solution 
of  iodine  chloride,  obtained  by  heating  iodine  with  nitro-hydrochloric  acid  with 
ammonia.  Thus  prepared,  it  never  explodes  when  moist,  and  when  dry  only  when 
touched  with  a  piece  of  wood,  or  some  similar  substance. — Ibid.,  from  Chem.  Centr., 
1877,  p.  651.   
Is  the  Decolorizing  Power  of  Animal  Charcoal  due  to  the  Carbon  or  to 
Porosity?  By  F.  Jicinsky. — No  direct  answer  is  given  to  the  question.  The 
author  states  that  during  filtration  (of  sugar)  the  organic  matters  of  the  syrup, 
especially  the  coloring  matters,  and  also  the  mineral  salts,  are  absorbed  by  the 
surface  attraction.  The  lime  is  withdrawn  from  the  syrup  chiefly  as  calcium 
hydrate,  and  partly  also  as  carbonate.  In  the  process  of  purification  the  reverse 
takes  place  to  a  certain  extent  as  regards  the  salts.  These  are  taken  away  again 
from  the  carbon  by  the  water. 
In  the  renovation  of  the  charcoal,  the  calcium  hydrate  and  carbonate  are  removed 
by  the  acid,  and  the  sugar,  together  with  absorbed  organic  matters,  yields  on 
fermentation  first  lactic  and  then  butyric  acid,  thus  reducing  the  complex  organic 
matters  to  simple  compounds.  By  the  action  of  these  acids  a  part  of  the  lime  is 
converted  into  the  calcium  salts  of  the  fatty  acids,  and  these  again  are  converted  on 
heating  into  calcium  carbonate,  and  the  porosity  is  restored.  The  fermentation  is 
■much  more  important  than  the  heating. — Ibid.,  April,  1878,  from  Ibid.,  p.  138. 
A  New  Ether  of  Glycerin.  By  Christian  Gottig. — The  salicylic  ether  of  gly- 
cerin is  prepared  by  dissolving  salicylic  acid  in  glycerin  and  passing  hydrochloric 
acid  gas  through  this  solution  heated  to  ioo°C.  The  ether  so  obtained  is  purified, 
after  washing,  by  distilling  under  reduced  pressure,  as  it  decomposes  when  distilled 
under  the  ordinary  pressure.  It  is  a  colorless  and  odorless  liquid,  soluble  in  alcohol, 
ether  and  carbon  disulphide.    Analysis  shows  it  to  have  the  formula — 
rH  OH 
\  CO.OC3H5(OH)2. 
The  author  supposes  that  the  hydrochloric  acid  acts  so  as  to  form  first  the  mono- 
chlorhydrin  of  glycerin,  and  not  salicyl  chloride. — Ibid.,  from  Deut.  Chem.  Ges.  Ber., 
3c,  1 81 7-1 8 19. 
On  Sodium  Compounds  of  Salicylic  Acid.  By  E.  Hofmann. — If  a  solution 
of  sodium  salicylate  containing  free  salicylic  acid  be  kept  for  some  time,  large 
•clear  hard  crystals  separate.  These  become  opaque  on  the  addition  of  water, 
being  converted  into  pseudomorphs  of  salicylic  acid.  They  appear  to  be  an  acid 
sodium  salicylate,  C7H503Na  -\-  C7H603,  which  by  water  are  resolved  into  sodium 
salicylate  and  free  salicylic  acid.    They  are,  however,  soluble  without  decomposi- 
