Amslp^'i877arm*}  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals.  445 
thaw  gradually  at  the  ordinary  temperature,  and  the  water  to  run  off. 
The  ferric  hydrate  thus  obtained  is  readily  soluble  in  6  parts  of  cold 
acetic  acid,  sp.  gr.  10*40.  The  solution  usually  has  a  density  of  1.150, 
and  must  be  diluted  with  distilled  water  to  obtain  it  of  the  required  spe- 
cific gravity,  1*134  to  1*138. — Arch,  der  Phar.,  June,  1877,  P«  510* 
Administration  of  Castor  Oil,  Copaiba,  etc. — Limousin  proposes 
to  use  wafer  capsules  for  the  purpose.  Two  wafers  are  united,  except 
on  one  portion  of  the  rim,  through  which  opening  the  liquid  is  intro- 
duced by  means  of  a  pipette  ;  or  the  oil  is  placed  upon  one  wafer,  its 
viscosity  preventing  its  spreading  to  the  margin  before  the  other  wafer 
is  rapidly  affixed  in  the  usual  manner.  The  substance  of  the  wafer  is 
soon  saturated  by  the  oil,  and  is  then  less  readily  softened  by  water,  while 
the  finely  divided  oil  is  apt  to  turn  rancid  ;  wafer  capsules  filled  with 
castor  oil  should  therefore  not  be  kept  on  hand,  except  for  a  short  time. 
Codliver  oil  will  communicate  its  odor  to  the  capsule,  and  is,  therefore, 
not  adapted,  unless  the  inner  surface  of  the  wafer  be  first  covered  with 
collodion,  in  which  case  it  becomes  less  readily  disintegrated. — Rep.  de 
Phar.,  May  10. 
Canada  Balsam  as  an  Excipient  for  Pills. — To  prevent  pills  from 
becoming  too  hard  and  insoluble,  Dannecy  proposes  a  mixture  of  one 
part  of  wax  and  three  parts  of  Canada  balsam,  which  has  also  the 
advantage  of  being  well  adapted  for  deliquescent  substances,  like  potas- 
sium acetate,  which  are  well  preserved  thereby  for  an  indefinite  period. 
— V  Union  p bar. ,  p.  168. 
Preparation  of  Iodic  Acid. — When  this  acid  is  prepared  by  passing 
chlorine  into  water  containing  suspended  iodine,  20  parts  of  water  to  I 
of  iodine  must  be  taken,  in  order  to  transform  all  the  iodine  into  acid  ; 
otherwise  chloride  of  iodine  is  formed. — Jour.  Chem.  Soc,  March. 
Boettger's  test  for  sugar  in  urine  has  been  modified  by  Professor 
Brucke  as  follows  :  The  urine  is  slightly  acidulated  with  muriatic  acid, 
and  an  acidulated  solution  of  bismuth-potassium  iodide  added,  whereby 
all  traces  of  sulphide  are  removed  ;  the  clear  filtrate  is  then  rendered 
alkaline  by  strong  potassa  solution  and  boiled  for  a  few  minutes,  when 
the  presence  of  sugar  will  be  indicated  by  a  gray  or  black  coloration. — 
Phar.  Cent.  Halle,  No.  24,  from  Jahresber.  phys.  Ver.  Frankf. 
Testing  Beeswax  for  Resin.— E.  Schmidt  recommends  a  modifi- 
cation of  Donath's  method  (1872),  as  follows  :  Five  grams  of  the  wax 
