490  Gleanings  from  the  European  Journals.  ^VoTi.wT*" 
talline  condition.  This  method  is  adapted  for  the  quantitative  deter- 
mination of  coffeina  ;  for  100  grains  of  tea  leaves,  completely  ex- 
hausted with  water  and  then  mixed  with  one  grain  of  coffeina,  yielded 
exactly  this  amount  by  the  above  method. — Pharm.  Zeitschr.f  Russl., 
1872,  p.  369. 
Estimation  of  Fats  in  Volatile  Oils. — Ferdinand  Rhien  objects  to 
the  methods  of  evaporating  from  bibulous  paper  and  of  treating  with 
alcohol,  sp.  grav.  0*823,  as  liable  to  yield  incorrect  results  in  exam- 
ining volatile  oils  for  adulterations  with  fats.  He  proposes  to  boil 
water  in  a  half  litre  flask  and  conducting  the  steam  to  the  bottom  of 
a  smaller  flask  containing  about  100  c.  c.  of  water  and  a  measured 
sample  of  the  volatile  oil.  The  second  flask  is  connected  with  a 
Liebig's  condenser  and  the  distillate  collected  in  a  graduated  tube. 
The  distillation  is  continued  until  the  oily  layer  in  the  tube  ceases  to 
increase  in  volume,  which  gives  directly  the  true  amount  of  volatile 
oil  contained  in  the  sample.  The  contents  of  the  smaller  flask  may 
then  be  agitated  with  ether,  and  after  evaporating  the  same  in  a 
beaker  glass,  the  nature  and  quantity  of  the  adulteration  may  be 
ascertained.  For  high  priced  oils  1  c.  c.  is  quite  sufficient  for  the 
experiment ;  of  cheaper  oils  10  to  15  c.  c.  may  be  taken.  The  opera- 
tion is  usually  finished  in  from  10  to  15  minutes. — N.  Repert.  f.  Ph.y 
1872,  502-505. 
Luteic  Acid,  the  Coloring  Matter  of  the  Flowers  of  Euphorbia  cypa- 
rissias  is  prepared  by  Hoehn  by  digesting  the  fresh  flowers  with  alco- 
hol, distilling  off  the  solvent  and  precipitating  the  residue  with  sub- 
acetate  of  lead.  The  precipitate  is  decomposed  by  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  and  the  solution  evaporated  to  crystallize.  The  crystalline 
crusts  are  washed  with  ether  to  remove  chlorophyll  and  a  green  resin, 
and  then  recrystallized  from  spirit  of  ether  and  finally  from  diluted 
alcohol. 
The  acid  forms  fine  yellow  needles,  is  inodorous,  bitter  and  astrin- 
gent, fuses  at  273°  C,  (?)  and  sublimes  at  270°  C.  (?)  It  dissolves 
in  11000  p.  of  cold,  and  3100  p.  of  boiling  water,  in  23*7  p.  cold 
absolute  alcohol,  and  in  272  p.  of  ether.  It  reduces  nitrate  of  silver 
and  Fehling's  solution,  and  does  not  yield  glucose  with  acids. — Journ* 
de  Pharm.  et  de  Chim.,  1872,  Aug.,  from  Bull.  Soc.  Ohim. 
