Ajaiua?yPf™'}     Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  41 
pictet's  process  for  the  purification  of  chloroform. 
By  means  of  a  double-walled  cylinder,  Pictet  was  able,  with  the 
aid  of  nitric  oxide,  to  produce  a  temperature  of  —  1200  C.  In  this 
cylinder  chloroform  seemed  to  solidify  at  —  630  C.  He  then  built 
a  larger  container  to  hold  ICO  kilogrammes  of  chloroform,  using  a 
mixture  of  carbon  dioxide  and  sulphurous  acid,  thus  producing  a 
temperature  of  —  8o°  C,  but  the  chloroform  failed  to  crystallize. 
After  some  experiments,  it  was  found  that  chloroform  congealed  at 
—  830  C.  instead  of  —  630  C.  In  his  first  experiment,  the  ther- 
mometer showed  —  630  C,  but  the  mass  must  have  been  at  least 
—  830  C.  "  The  higher  temperature  was  produced  by  waves  from 
the  outer  circle  passing  through  the  liquid  and  striking  the  ther- 
mometer, thus  producing  the  higher  temperature." 
It  had  been  found  that  commercial  chloroform  contained  as  much 
as  30  per  cent,  of  impurity,  and  consisted  of  some  of  the  chlorides 
of  carbon,  but  chiefly  of  a  combination,  CHC!3,  possibly  an  isomer 
of  chloroform.  On  exposing  the  30  per  cent,  impurity  to  the  rays 
of  the  sun,  decomposition  resulted  in  a  few  minutes.  Recrystal- 
lized  chloroform  remained  absolutely  unchanged  after  several  days' 
exposure  to  the  sun. — 1899,  Jour.  Soc.  Chem.  Itid.,  18,  231. 
L.  F.  Kebler. 
STERCULIA  TOMENTOSA  AND  ITS  GUM. 
Under  the  name  M'beppe,  Kougosita,  Komikosita,  'M'boborg  and 
Ici-t a- chixe,  the  above-mentioned  plant  is  well  known  in  Central  Africa, 
and  its  general  characters — historical,  botanical  and  commercial — 
are  the  subject  of  a  recent  elaborate  essay  by  E.  Heckel  (Repertoire 
de  Phariu.,  1899,  1).  It  is  a  tree  about  10  metres  high,  with  a  grayand 
scarred  bark,  villous  cordate-orbiculate  to  trilobate  leaves,  reddish 
pentamerous  flowers  and  small  (about  0-3  gramme  each)  seeds, 
which  only  contain  oil  and  starch  and  are  not  used  as  are  those  from 
its  congener  5.  acuminata.  The  sole  native  value  of  the  plant  arises 
from  the  gum  exuded  by  the  trunk,  the  yield  of  which  is  enhanced 
by  artificial  incisions.  The  gum  resembles  tragacanth,  differing 
from  it,  however,  in  absence  of  starch  and  by  forming  with  water  a 
viscid  liquid,  rather  than  a  jelly.  Chemical  examination  shows  it 
to  consist  largely  of  arabin.  The  gum  is  of  interest  from  the 
standpoint  of  physiological  botany,  in  that  the  yield  is  best  from 
young  and  hardy  plants.  H.  V.  Arny. 
