614 
Varieties. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharmu 
Dec,  1877. 
Simple  Tests  for  Flour  Adulterations — Dr.  Himly,  Professor  of  Chemistry  at 
the  University  of  Kiel,  has  suggested  a  method  by  means  of  which  any  person  of 
ordinary  intelligence  may  test  the  amount  of  adulteration  of  flour.  It  is  based  upon 
the  fact  that  chloroform  is  specifically  lighter  than  nearly  all  the  substances  usually 
employed  for  these  adulterations,  such  as  lime,  chalk,  barytes,  plaster,  marble,  bone- 
powder,  etc  ,  while  the  genuine  flour  is  again  lighter  than  chloroform,  in  which  none 
of  the  above-named  substances  are  soluble.  The  testing  process  is  simple,  and  all 
the  apparatus  required  is  a  small  test  tube  about  f  inch  in  diameter,  and  4  or  5 
inches  long.  A  teaspoonful  of  the  flour  to  be  tested  is  placed  in  the  test-glass  and 
chloroform  poured  on  to  fill  the  vessel  to  about  three-quarters  of  its  length,  when  it 
is  well  shaken  and  then  placed  in  an  upright  position,  so  as  to  remain  undisturbed 
until  the  various  substances  mixed  together  have  had  time  to  find  the  level  assigned 
them  by  their  specific  gravity,  the  flour  swimming  near  the  surface  at  the  top  of  the 
vessel,  while  the  mineral  bodies  will  sink  to  the  bottom.  It  should  be  observed  that 
unadulterated  flour  often  shows  a  slight  filmy  deposit  of  a  grayish  of  brownish  color, 
which  it  must  be  supposed  is  stone-dust,  produced  in  grinding.  A  white  deposit, 
however,  will  invariably  indicate  an  adulteration  with  one  or  another  of  the  sub- 
stances mentioned  above.  If  the  materials  are  weighed  before  and  after  separation, 
the  amount  or  degree  of  adulteration  may  be  pretty  accurately  ascertained. —  Ibid.^ 
Oct.  27,  1877. 
Tests  for  Adulterations  of  Oil  of  Cloves  and  Oil  of  Pennyroyal. — Oil  of  cloves 
is  often  adulterated  with  carbolic  acid.  This  may  be  detected  by  agitating  the 
suspected  oil  with  fifty  parts  of  hot  water;  decant  and  slowly  evaporate  the  aqueous 
portion  to  a  small  bulk.  Add  one  drop  aqua  ammonia  and  a  very  little  chlorinated 
lime.  If  carbolic  acid  is  present,  a  green  color,  changing  to  a  permanent  blue,  is 
developed. 
Pure  oil  of  cloves  congeals  into  a  crystalline  mass,  with  total  loss  of  its  odor, 
when  agitated  with  an  alcoholic  solution  of  potassa. 
Oil  of  pennyroyal  is  mixed  with  oil  of  peppermint  as  an  adulterant.  To  detect 
this  mixture  I  have  found  the  following  process  very  effective  : 
Take  of  Hydrate  chloral,        .  .  .  .  £i 
Sulph.  acid,  C.  P.,  .  .  gss 
Rub  together  until  a  liquid  is  formed,  which  make  clear  by  adding  alcohol,  drop- 
by  drop.  Place  a  few  drops  of  this  solution  in  a  watch-glass,  with  an  equal 
amount  of  the  oil,  then  rub  together  with  a  glass  rod.  If  oil  of  pennyroyal  is 
present,  it  will  turn  an  olive  green,  but  if  it  is  pure  oil  of  peppermint  the  color  will 
be  a  cherry  red. — Med.  and  Surg.  Rep.,  Sept.  15,  1877. 
Dangerous  Vinegar. — The  Board  of  Health  of  the  District  of  Columbia  has  con- 
demned five  carloads  of  vinegar  sent  there  from  Chicago,  on  the  ground  that  it  is 
not  a  genuine  article,  and  is  injurious  to  health.  An  analysis  of  the  so-called  vine- 
gar has  been  made.    It  appears,  according  to  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Health, 
