A\l°nJ%™'}  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals.  173 
by  A.  Claus  and  Hassenkamp.  Pure  ricinoleic  acid  is  made  by  frac- 
tional precipitation  of  castor  oil  soap  with  calcium  chloride,  the  first 
two-sixths  being  impure,  the  next  three-sixths  fractions  pure  ricinoleate 
of  calcium.  The  acid  had  the  composition  C13H3403,  and  yielded  with 
nascent  hydrogen  iodide  (generated  by  adding  phosphorus  and  iodine  in 
the  presence  of  a  little  water,  and  heating  in  a  water-bath)  iodstearidenic 
acid,  C18H33l02.  On  treating  the  latter  with  nascent  hydrogen,  by 
boiling  with  zinc  filings  and  hydrochloric  acid,  stearic  acid,  C^H^O,. 
was  obtained,  and  its  identity  proven  by  the  form  of  the  crystals,  its 
solubility,  fusing  point,  elementary  composition,  and  the  properties  of 
its  ethylic  ether. — Ber.  Ckem.  Ges.,  1876,  1916. 
Emodin  in  Frangula  Bark.— Old  frangula  bark  was  exhausted 
with  dilute  soda  solution,  and  the  liquid  precipitated  by  hydrochloric 
acid  ;  the  precipitate  was  again  boiled  with  soda  and  precipitated  by 
HC1,  then  washed,  dried  and  repeatedly  crystallized  from  boiling: 
absolute  alcohol.  A  small  quantity  of  a  glucoside  was  removed  by 
boiling  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid  and  crystallizing  from  alcohol  or 
glacial  acetic  acid.  C.  Liebermann  and  M.  Waldstein  obtained  it 
from  the  latter  liquid  in  the  form  of  orange-colored  silky  needles, 
containing  acetic  acid  and  water,  which  are  expelled  at  1400  C,  the 
crystals  becoming  opaque. 
Ultimate  analysis  proving  the  composition  of  the  crystals  to  be 
C15H10O5,  their  identity  with  emodin  from  rhubarb  was  further  proven 
by  the  solubilities,  form  of  crystals  and  color  of  alkaline  solutions 
also  by  the  following  behavior  :  baryta  and  lime  water  yield  red 
precipitates,  which  are  somewhat  soluble  in  boiling  water  with  a  red 
color  ;  alum  solution  dissolves  slightly  with  a  yellow  color,  ammonia 
yielding  red  precipitates  ;  evaporation  with  nitric  acid  yields  yelLw 
nitro-compounds,  soluble  in  water  with  a  red  color  ;  the  behavior 
towards  glacial  acetic  acid  was  that  stated  above. 
The  frangulinic  acid  of  Faust  differs  in  some  respects  from  emodin ; 
it  is  not  impossible  that  it  may  be  contained  in  the  recent  bark  and 
gradually  converted  into  emodin  by  oxidation. — Ber,  Deutsch  Chem* 
Ges.,  1876,  p.  1775-1778. 
The  Strength  of  Tincture  of  Nux  Vomica. — L.  Siebold  exam- 
ined ten  samples  of  this  tincture,  u  British  Pharmacopoeia,"  and 
obtained  extracts,  varying  for  1000  cc.  of  tincture  between  2*7  and  ro'l 
