250 
Contributions  to  Pharmacy. 
Am.  .Tour.  Pharm. 
May,  1894. 
tion  of  ether  to  this  methyl  alcohol  solution  gave  a  white  flocculent 
precipitate  which  purified  by  solution  and  reprecipitation  had  the 
same  properties  (excepting  the  reducing  value  which  equalled  0  649 
gm.  Cu)  as  described  under  one  of  the  decomposition  products  of  the 
bitter  principle ;  this  body  is  one  of  the  glucose  group  and  most 
probably  dextrose. 
The  portion  of  the  substance  insoluble  in  methyl  alcohol  was 
easily  soluble  in  water,  the  solution  having  the  following  proper- 
ties :  No  change  with  iodine  or  Fehling's  solution ;  it  turned  the 
plane  of  polarization  to  the  left ;  by  the  action  of  diastase  a  reduc- 
ing sugar  was  produced.  Dried  at  900  C,  the  finely  powdered  sub- 
stance had  the  composition  :  C  44-265  percent.,  H  6  175  per  cent., 
O  (by  difference)  49-56  per  cent.,  agreeing  to  the  formula  C6H10O5 
or  a  multiple  of  this.  By  prolonged  heating  with  dilute  hydro- 
chloric acid  on  a  water-bath  laevulinic  acid  is  produced  along  with 
humic  substances  ;  by  oxidation  with  nitric  acid  either  saccharic  or 
oxalic  acid  can  be  obtained  dependent  upon  the  strength  of  the  nitric 
acid.  To  determine  if  the  molecule  contained  representatives  ot 
other  related  carbohydrate  groups,  tests  were  applied  for  laevulose, 
galactose  and  xylose,  but  with  negative  results.  This  investigation 
of  the  precipitate  obtained  from  the  hot  alcohol  extraction  of  squill 
establishes  the  presence  of  two  carbohydrates,  one  of  which  is  dex- 
trose, the  other  is  a  member  of  the  group  C6H10O5. 
Frank  X.  Moerk. 
Lanolin  may  be  identified  by  the  following  test,  which  may  also 
serve  to  indicate  the  purity  of  the  sample  :  o-i  gm.  lanolin  incorpor- 
ated with  10  cc.  concentrated  sulphuric  acid  gives  an  intensely  red 
liquid  with  a  greenish  fluorescence,  the  depth  of  color  depending 
upon  the  purity  of  the  lanolin  ;  if  xo  cc.  chloroform  be  added  to  the 
above,  agitated  and  allowed  to  separate,  the  chloroform  layer  will 
have  a  bright  red  color,  while  at  the  line  of  contact  of  the  two 
liquids  a  black  line  will  be  noticeable ;  these  results  by  comparison  with 
pure  lanolin  will  indicate  the  purity  of  the  sample  examined. — 
Astolfi  (Boll.  et.  Chim.  Farm.)  Apotheker  Ztg.,  1894,  94. 
