418 
Varieties. 
i  Am.  Jour.  Phakm. 
1    Sept.  1, 1872. 
carbonate  from  the  acid  solution,  and  can  in  this  way  be  separated 
from  the  unaltered  morphia.  This  precipitate  contains  a  small 
quantity  of  a  base  soluble  in  ether,  which  appears  to  be  apomorphia, 
whose  formula,  according  to  the  author's  researches,  should  be  C68H68- 
N408.  The  portion  of  the  precipitate  insoluble  in  ether,  when  dis- 
solved in  hydrochloric  acid,  and  fractionally  precipitated,  yields  dia- 
tetramorphia  C136H148N8022,  which  oxidizes  with  great  readiness.  On 
dissolving  this  in  strong  hydrochloric  acid,  and  evaporating,  a  tarry 
residue  is  obtained  soluble  in  water.  Strong  hydrochloric  acid  pre- 
cipitates from  this  solution  the  hydrochloride  of  a  new  base,  C136H146- 
CljjNgOao'SHCl,  which  differs  from  chloro-tetramorphia  by  — H404. 
Diapo-tetramorphia,  when  treated  with  hydriodic  acid  and  phospho- 
rus, yields  the  corresponding  iodine  compound  CjggHj^NgO^'SHL 
From  these  results  it  would  appear  that  the  action  of  phosphoric  acid 
on  morphia  is  analogous  to  that  on  codeina,  with  the  difference  that 
the  elements  of  water  are  abstracted  from  the  products  in  the  first 
case,  but  not  in  the  latter.  With  respect  to  the  physiological  action 
of  diapo-tetramorphia,  it  is  quite  as  energetic  an  emetic  as  apomor- 
phia. — Ohem.  News,  June  14,  1872. 
Varieties, 
Native  Vegetable  Iuk — Rev.  F.  Moigno. — The  author  states  that  experiments 
are  being  made  to  acclimatise  in  Europe  the  Coriaria  thy mif alia,  or  ink-plant 
of  New  Grenada.  The  juice  of  this  plant,  locally  termed  chanchi,  is  at  first  of 
a  somewhat  reddish  color,  but  becomes  intensely  black  in  a  few  hours.  This 
juice  can  be  used  for  writing  without  requiring  any  further  preparations  ;  it  cor- 
rodes steel  pens  less  than  ordinary  ink,  and  has,  moreover,  the  advantage  of 
better  resisting  chemical  agents.  When  the  portion  of  America  named  above 
was  under  Spanish  dominion,  all  public  documents  were  written  with  chanchi, 
which  was  not  removed  from  the  paper  by  sea- water. —  Chem.  News,  July  12, 
from  Les  Mondes,  July  4. 
Bromine  Water  as  a  Test  for  Phenol — 0.  Mene. — When  bromine  water  is 
added  in  excess  to  a  weak  aqueous  solution  of  phenol,  there  is  formed  a  yel- 
lowish white  precipitate  of  tribromo-phenol ;  this  reaction  is  so  sensitive  that  1 
part  of  phenol  (carbolic  acid)  in  4370  parts  of  water,  that  is  0  0229  grms.  to 
the  litre,  can  be  detected  ;  in  case  of  any  doubt  arising  as  to  the  nature  of  the 
precipitate,  it  is  separated  by  filtration,  washed,  and  put  into  a  test-tube,  gently 
heated  along  with  some  sodium  amalgam  ;  the  liquid  is  then  poured  into  a 
beaker-glass,  and  upon  the  addition  of  a  few  drops  of  dilute  sulphuric  acid  the 
