596  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals,  {^t^gg** 
It  was  found  that  the  oil  expressed  cold  or  warm,  from  fresh  almonds 
or  such  as  had  been  kept  up  to  ten  years,  gave  the  same  reaction.  Most 
of  the  commercial  oil  was  found  to  be  adulterated  with  the  oil  of  either 
peach  kernels  or  benne  seed. — Apoth.  Zeitn  No.  41. 
Cantharidin. — J.  Piccard  observed  the  correctness  of  older  obser- 
vations, that  cantharidin  becomes  soft  at  2io°C.  (4io°F.),  and  fuses 
at  2i8°C.  (424*4°F.).  F.  Krafft  having  found  its  vapor  density  near 
6*6o,  the  author  doubles  the  usually  accepted  molecular  formula  to 
C10H12O4.  When  heated  with  hydriodic  acid  of  about  sp.  grav.  i*8r 
it  is  gradually  converted  into  cantharic  acid,  which,  after  purification,  is 
crystalline,  soluble  in  120  p.  cold  and  12  p.  boiling  water,  very  soluble 
in  alcohol,  sparingly  in  ether,  and  not  vesicating  when  its  solution  in 
glycerin  is  applied  to  the  skin.  It  has  the  same  composition  as  can- 
tharidin, but  it  is  monobasic. — Ber.  deutsch.  chem.  Ges.,  1877,  1504 — 
1506. 
Nucin  or  Juglon. — C.  Reischauer's  analyses  render  it  probable 
that  this  body  is  allied  to  kinone,  C6H402,  but  contains  less  oxygen. 
Its  composition  seems  to  be  C18H12Os.  On  mixing  its  alcoholic  solu- 
tion with  a  solution  of  neutral  acetate  of  copper,  a  red  coloration  and 
a  copious  precipitate  of  bronze  colored  microscopic  crystals  is  obtained, 
which  have  a  metallic  lustre,  and  when  dried  at  ioo°C.  were  found  to 
contain  15*83  per  cent,  of  copper. — Ibid.,  1542 — 1548. 
Phosphide  of  tin  is  at  present  an  article  of  commerce,  and  is  tech- 
nically employed  in  place  of  phosphide  of  copper  for  the  preparation 
of  phosphor-bronze.  S.  Natanson  and  G.  Vortman  have  prepared  itr 
1,  by  heating  a  mixture  of  3  p.  glacial  phosphoric  acid  with  1  p.  char- 
coal and  6  p.  tin  ;  2,  by  fusing  glacial  phosphoric  acid  with  tin  ;  3,  by 
passing  phosphorus  vapors  over  tin  fused  in  a  current  of  hydrogen 
(Vigier's  method,  1861),  and  4,  by  throwing  phosphorus  upon  fused 
tin  (Pelletier  and  Landgrebe's  process,  1829).  The  products  were 
silvery-white  and  foliaceous,  contained  between  96  and  98  per  cent,  of 
tin  and  were  soluble  in  muriatic  acid,  with  the  evolution  of  phospho- 
retted  hydrogen.  If  heated  with  nitric  acid  for  a  short  time,  then  just 
sufficient  muriatic  acid  added  to  dissolve  the  stannic  acid,  and  again 
heated  for  some  time,  yellowish  scales  of  a  metallic  lustre  are  left, 
which  contain  75  per  cent,  of  tin,  and,  when  boiled  with  caustic 
potassa,  yield  a  brown-yellow  solution  and  silvery  scales,  containing 
