496        Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  {Ao^JoTer,PiSm 
PHYSOSTERIN    IN  ANIMAL  FATS. 
Of  late  years  chemical  research  has  shown  that  the  best  test  for 
the  presence  of  cotton  seed  oil  residues  in  animal  fats  (like  lard)  is 
the  isolation  and  identification  of  the  physosterin  crystals  found  in 
the  cotton  seed.  It  is  true  that  animal  fats  contain  the  closely  simi- 
lar cholesterin  crystals,  but  the  two  can  be  easily  distinguished  by  a 
careful  observer. 
C.  Virchow  (Be?.  Dtsch; Pharm.  Ges.,  1899,  198)  points  out  the 
following  distinctions:  (1)  shape  of  crystals  as  seen  under  the  micro- 
scope; (2)  melting  points  (cholesterin,  I44°-I45°;  physosterin, 
I36°-I37°).  In  other  respects  the  two  substances  are  similar,  both 
being  soluble  in  the  same  extraction  liquids  and  showing  identical 
color  reactions. 
Of  the  latter,  the  most  striking  is  the  author's  modification  of  the 
L/eberman  cholesterin  reaction,  which  is  as  follows: 
Dissolve  substance  in  smallest  quantity  of  chloroform  in  a  narrow 
tube,  add  acetic  acid  anhydride  and  shake.  Then  pour  the  solution 
cautiously  on  a  layer  of  sulphuric  acid,  when  the  point  of  contact 
colors  successively  red-violet,  blue-violet,  indigo,  blue-green,  green 
and  brown. 
The  article  concludes  with  a  report  on  examination  of  the  fat  of 
animals  whose  fatty  diet  was  cotton  seed  oil  only.  Despite  the  fact 
that  the  above  oil  contains  physosterin,  the  fat  of  the  slaughtered 
animals  never  showed  its  presence.  H.  V.  A. 
CELLULOSE. 
A  new  contribution  to  the  chemistry  of  cellulose  is  an  article  by 
Bumcke  and  Wolffenstein  (Ber.  Dtsch.  Chem.  Ges.,  through  Ph.  Cent., 
1899,690),  who  report  that  oxy-cellulose  and  hydro-cellulose,  instead 
of  being  oxidation  products,  originate  through  hydrolysis.  Treat- 
ing cellulose  with  hydrogen  peroxide,  the  authors  obtained  an  oxy- 
cellulose,  evidently  formed  by  the  same  method  of  decomposition 
of  the  hydrogen  peroxide  as  we  see  when  that  oxidizer  acts  on 
cane  sugar,  namely,  H202  =  H20  -j-  O,  the  formed  water  acting  in 
a  nascent  state.  They  call  this  oxy-cellulose,  hydral-cellulose,  and 
find  it  to  be  an  aldehyde,  changing  to  the  alcohol  (cellulose)  or 
to  the  acid  (acid-cellulose)  under  appropriate  reagents.  Acid- 
cellulose  differs  from  cellulose  by  its  solubility  in  cold  solution 
