390  Gleanings  from  the  European  Journals ,  {^pH'SK* 
especially  if  it  is  but  small  in  amount.    In  this  case,  between  four 
and  five  drachms  of  the  adulteration  was  recovered  from  the  pound? 
or  nearly  four  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  the  drug. 
Pottsville,  Pa.,  July,  1872. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  EUROPEAN  JOURNALS. 
By  the  Editor. 
Oxidation  of  Mercury. — W.  Kirchmann  observed  that  a  solution 
of  permanganate  of  potassa,  when  agitated  with  quicksilver,  oxidizes 
the  latter  in  the  cold  to  mercurous,  and  when  hot  to  mercuric  oxide. 
The  oxide  of  manganium  separated  at  the  same  time  is  dissolved  by 
muriatic  acid,  which,  combining  also  with  the  oxide  of  mercury,  forms 
insoluble  calomel  in  the  first  case,  or  in  the  other  corrosive  sublimate, 
entering  into  solution. — Arehiv  d.  Pharm.,  1872,  June,  203. 
For  the  Silvering  of  Glass  Vessels  the  following  process  is  recom- 
mended by  R.  Siemens  :  The  glass  vessel  is  first  cleaned  from  every 
•  trace  of  fat  by  rinsing  it  with  a  solution  of  carbonate  of  potassa,  then 
with  alcohol,  and  finally  with  distilled  water.  A  solution  containing 
4  grm.  nitrate  of  silver  and  2-5  grm.  aldehyde-ammonia  to  1  litre  of 
water,  is  poured  into  the  vessel,  which  is  placed  into  a  water-bath, 
is  gradually  heated  to  50°  C.  (122°  F.)  Silver  is  now  separated; 
the  layer  has  at  first  a  blackish  appearance,  but  acquires  more 
lustre  as  it  becomes  thicker.  When  a  bright  mirror  of  silver  has  been 
obtained,  the  solution  is  at  once  poured  out  and  the  vessel  rinsed  with 
distilled  water.  The  liquid  contains  nitric,  nitrous  and  acetic  acids^ 
and  acetate  of  ammonia ;  the  greatest  portion  of  the  silver  is  obtained 
again  in  the  metallic  state  as  powder.  From  10  litres  of  the  solution^ 
containing  40  grm.  nitrate  of  silver,  the  author  obtained  metallic  sil- 
ver which  yielded  35*  grm.  nitrate. — Ibid.,  233 — 235. 
Claret. — Mayer  observed  that  three  kinds  of  claret,  which  con- 
tained between  10  and  12  per  cent,  of  alcohol,  yielded,  with  ammo- 
nia, crystals  which  further  analysis  proved  to  be  phosphate  of  lime, 
and  regards  this  fact  at  least  as  suspicious  that  they  may  have  been 
adulterated  with  cider.  -Another  kind,  containing  15  per  cent,  alco- 
hol, contained  phosphate  of  magnesia. — 2\T.  Jahrb,  f  Pharm.,  1872, 
June,  330. 
