102  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  {AmFeb.!'i894arm" 
of  a  small  quantity  alcohol  produces  a  solid  mass,  while  the  presence 
of  castor  oil  (without  alcohol)  produces  a  soft  mass  not  differing 
from  that  obtainable  with  a  pure  balsam. 
(2)  One  volume  balsam  with  four  volumes  80  per  cent,  acetic  acid 
should  produce  an  opalescent  or  only  faintly  turbid  solution  from 
which  no  oily  drops  separates  after  two  hours'  standing. 
(3)  The  petroleum-ether  solution  of  the  balsam  should  have  a  pale 
yellow  color  and  with  a  dilute  cupric  acetate  solution  (1  :  1000) 
should  not  be  colored  green  or  bluish  green. 
(4)  The  petroleum-ether  solution  upon  the  evaporation  leaves  a 
residue  which  should  not  be  colored  by  hydrochloric  acid  sp.  gr. 
1-19. — Pharm.  Ztschr.  f.  Russl.,  1893,  369,  385  and  401. 
Cupric  oxide  used  by  E.  Hirschsohn  in  the  detection  of  rosin  in  oil 
of  cassia,  was  found  to  be  unreliable  as  a  reagent  because  of  the 
different  conditions  followed  in  its  preparation  ;  some  specimens 
would  impart  to  a  five  per  cent,  petroleum-ether  solution  of  resin, 
upon  agitation,  an  immediate  intense  bluish-green  color,  other 
specimens  gave  no  color  or  only  a  faint-green  after  contact  for- 
twelve  hours.  Studying  the  conditions  for  the  preparation  of  a  reli- 
able cupric  oxide,  it  was  found  that  if  one  part  crystallized  copper 
sulphate,  0-6  part  potassium  hydrate  and  18  parts  water  be  boiled 
for  two  hours,  an  oxide  of  the  greatest  activity  is  obtained;  the 
oxide  should  be  dried  at  low  temperatures  and  should  not  be  ignited 
since  this  operation  will  notably  decrease  the  sensitiveness  of  the 
oxide. — Pharm.  Ztschr.  f.  Russl.,  1893,  705. 
ABSTRACTS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
Translated  for  The  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy. 
To  detect  iodine  combined  in  the  state  of  an  iodide  or  an  iodate, 
G.  Deniges  makes  use  of  the  ingenious  process  of  Suilliot  and  Ray- 
naud for  the  preparation  of  iodoform,  which  consists  of  adding  an 
alkaline  hypochlorite  to  an  iodide  in  the  presence  of  acetone  and 
claims  that  by  using  these  same  reagents  very  small  quantities  of 
iodine  can  be  detected  either  directly  or  by  means  of  the  micro- 
scope. In  the  case  of  an  iodide,  the  solution,  if  it  is  not  a  base  of 
potassa  or  of  soda,  is  precipitated  by  neutral  sodium  carbonate  and 
filtered ;  to  several  cc.  of  the  filtered  liquid  is  added  one  drop  of 
solution  of  caustic  soda  or  sufficient  to  render  it  slightly  alkaline ; 
