32  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  {^sZZ'SE™' 
then  thoroughly  mixed  with  600  gm.  solution  of  soda  (25  per 
cent.)  and  the  excess  of  liquid  later  removed  by  expression  ;  the 
sulphurated  oleic  acid  may  also  be  dissolved  in  two  kg.  90  per  cent, 
alcohol,  saponified  by  the  addition  of  430  gm.  solution  of  soda  (35 
per  cent.)  and  the  filtrate  evaporated  to  dryness  on  a  water-bath  at 
50°  C.—Pharm.  Ztg.,  1893,  663. 
Test  for  sesame  oil. — If  five  volumes  of  the  oil  be  agitated  with 
one  volume  of  Bettendorf's  reagent  and  heated  in  a  water-bath  for  a 
few  minutes  a  deep  wine  red  color  is  imparted  to  the  reagent.  Olive 
oil  containing  a  very  small  quantity  of  sesame  oil  will  give  rise  to  a 
red  coloration  ;  pure  olive  oil  only  causing  an  orange  yellow  color- 
ation.— P.  Soltsien,  Pharm.  Ztg.,  1893,  654. 
The  extraction  of  volatile  oils  from  flowers  is  effected  by  G.  Mor- 
purgo,  by  arranging  a  series  of  boxes  containing  the  odorous 
material  which  are  alternately  connected  with  Woulff's  bottles  partly 
filled  with  a  purified  vaseline  oil.  By  means  of  an  air  pump  air  is 
first  purified,  by  passing  it  through  an  alkaline  solution  of  pyrogallol 
(this  solution  absorbs  part  of  the  atmospheric  oxygen  and  the  result- 
ing mixture  of  nitrogen  and  oxygen  has  been  found  to  exert  very 
little  effect  in  altering  the  oils,  thus  it  was  possible  by  this  method  to 
extract  the  oils  from  violets  which  could  not  be  done  by  simply 
using  air),  and  then  it  enters  the  bottom  of  the  box  filled  with  the 
material  and,  becoming  charged  with  the  vapor  of  the  essential  oil, 
escapes  above,  and  passes  into  the  Woulff's  bottle  giving  up  the 
essential  oil  vapor  to  the  mineral  oil ;  the  air  then  enters  a  second 
box,  etc.  The  material  after  wilting  is  removed  and  replaced  by 
fresh ;  the  mineral  oil  afterwards  is  made  to  give  up  the  essential 
oil  to  deodorized  alcohol.  By  spraying  some  of  the  flowers  with 
alcohol  the  extraction  was  greatly  facilitated,  in  some  cases  as  in 
tuberoses,  heliotrope,  etc.,  this  procedure  on  the  contrary  is  detri- 
mental.— Pharm.  Post,  1893,405. 
_  Iridin,  a  glucoside  existing  in  the  root  of  Iris  Florentina,  was  prepared 
by  mixing  the  alcoholic  extract  with  warm  water,  and  adding  a  mix- 
ture of  acetone  and  chloroform,  having  a  specific  gravity  of  o  950  ; 
upon  standing  the  mixture  separates  into  two  layers,  in  the  heavier 
of  which  the  glucoside  is  suspended  as  amorphous,  white  floccules 
which  can  be  crystallized  from  boiling  diluted  alcohol,  in  white 
needles,  becoming  yellow  in  moist  air,  and  melting  at  2080  ;  hot 
