AmMay"'i87h7arm'}  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals.  243 
of  a  very  agreeable  odor  are  formed,  and  the  substances  thus  treated 
acquire  an  analogous  odor,  at  the  same  time  becoming  yellowish  in 
color.  The  operation  lasts  about  an  hour,  after  which  the  liquids  are 
thoroughly  agitated  for  some  minutes  with  water,  and  after  resting  for 
eight  or  ten  hours  the  purified  petroleum  is  drawn  off. 
The  lower  stratum,  which  is  a  mixture  of  the  acids,  water  and  alco- 
hol, may  be  used  for  deodorizing  the  heavy  oils  of  petroleum,  by  agi- 
tating them  well  for  twenty  minutes,  and  after  twelve  hours  washing 
the  oil  twice  with  milk  of  lime,  to  remove  the  free  acids.  It  will  then 
have  the  same,  but  a  weaker  odor,  as  the  light  petroleum  first  treated, 
and  answers  well  for  lubricating  purposes. 
Petroleum  thus  purified  may  be  used  in  pharmacy  for  many  purposes. 
All  the  tinctures  for  external  use  may  be  prepared  with  it,  like  the 
tincture  of  arnica,  alkannet  and  camphor;  it  may  be  used  for  dissolv- 
ing ether  and  chloroform,  like  alcohol,  and,  combined  with  fats  or  gly- 
cerin, promises  to  be  of  great  utility  in  the  treatment  of  skin  diseases 
and  for  other  purposes. 
The  author  calculates  that  alcohol  is  annually  used  in  French  phar- 
macy amounting  in  value  to  at  least  two  million  francs,  of  which  about  70 
per  cent.,  representing  an  annual  expenditure  of  1,400,000  francs,  might 
very  properly  be  replaced  by  this  purified  petroleum,  which  will  also 
undoubtedly  find  many  industrial  applications. — Rep.  de  Phar.,  1876, 
P-  742. 
Generation  of  Sulphurous  Acid  for  use  as  a  Disinfectant. — 
Thos.  W.  Keates  proposes  for  this  purpose  to  burn  carbon  bisulphide 
in  a  suitable  lamp,  either  pure  or  mixed  with  fixed  oils  or  liquid  hydro- 
carbons, such  as  petroleum  ;  100  grs.  of  carbon  bisulphide  will  thus 
yield  168  grs.  or  245  cubic  inches  of  sulphurous  acid.  In  a  room  con- 
taining 7,300  cubic  feet,  it  was  found  that  by  burning  280  grs.  of  the 
bisulphide  the  atmosphere  was  so  far  charged  with  sulphurous  acid 
that  it  was  impossible  to  remain  in  the  room  for  more  than  a  few  seconds. 
The  boiling  point  of  carbon  bisulphide  being  as  low  as  no°F.,  it  is 
necessary  that  the  lamp  in  which  it  is  burned  should  be  furnished  with 
a  well-fitting  screw  cap. — Cbem.  News,  Dec.  8,  1876,  from  the  Lancet, 
Thos.  Stevenson  avers  that  he  has  used  that  method  for  generating 
sulphurous  acid  for  nearly  seven  years,  and  that  no  special  form  of 
lamp  is  required,  but  that  an  ordinary  porcelain  or  copper  dish  may  be 
used  and  the  liquid  in  it  ignited  with  a  match.     Instead  of  generating 
