52 
Notes  and  News. 
(  Am.  Jour.  I'rjarm. 
\     January,  1816. 
leaves  are  not  poisonous — this  fact  suggesting  the  advisability  of  their  adoption 
in  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia. 
A  new  form  of  suspension  balance  was  exhibited  and  described  by  Dr.  J.  R. 
Witzel.  The  beam  is  suspended  by  two  wires  of  German  silver,  or  copper,  so 
that  knife  edges  are  avoided.    The  smaller  balances  are  sensitive  to  '02  grain. 
Mr.  Wm.  R.  Warner  sent  a  programme  of  the  graduating  class  of  1856, 
accompanied  by  his  matriculation  ticket.  The  subjects  of  the  theses  indicated 
the  high  character  of  the  work  done  by  the  students  of  those  days. 
Professor  Remington  desired  to  personally  thank  the  authors  of  the  papers 
for  their  contributions,  and  said  that  we  had  cause  for  hoping  that  the  high 
standing  of  the  College  would  be  maintained,  when  six  original  papers  were 
on  the  programme  of  one  meeting. 
The  papers  were  referred  to  the  Publication  Committee,  and,  on  motion  of 
Professor  Trimble,  the  meeting  adjourned. 
A  borax-carmine  staining  fluid  is  prepared  by  P.  W.  Squire  (Phar.  Journal, 
December  7,  1895),  as  follows  : 
Dissolve  the  borax  in  the  water,  add  the  carmine  and  heat  in  a  flask  until  the 
mixture  just  boils.  Cool  the  solution  and  add  gradually  to  the  alcohol ;  after 
twenty-four  hours,  filter.  At  first  sight  the  borax  would  appear  to  be  in  excess, 
but  the  proportion  given  is  necessary  to  dissolve  the  carmine.  The  solution 
stains  well  and  is  more  alcoholic  than  that  known  as  Grenacher's.  There  are 
many  far  better  nuclear  stains,  notably  hsematoxylin  and  some  aniline  dyes, 
but  there  is  none  as  good  as  borax-carmine  for  staining  cellulose. 
The  metal  glucinum,  it  is  stated,  is  emerging  from  its  position  as  a  chemical 
rarity,  and  is  coming  to  the  front,  much  as  aluminum  did  a  few  years  ago.  It 
is  even  lighter  than  aluminum,  but  its  chief  value  consists  in  the  fact  that  its 
electrical  conductivity  is  as  high  as  that  of  silver,  and,  consequently,  higher 
than  that  of  copper.  It  is  less  extensible  than  iron,  and  more  durable.  At 
present,  its  value  is  71s.  4d.  per  pound,  which  is  prohibitive  for  large  quantities, 
but  this  is  only  one-tenth  the  price  of  platinum,  weight  for  weight,  and  one- 
one-hundred-and-sixtiethj  the  price  of  platinum,  volume  for  volume. — Iron- 
monger, November  16,  1895. 
Improvements  in  the  manufacture  of  acetone  and  in  the  apparatus  therefor, 
is  the  subject  of  a  patent  by  R.  Jiirgensen,  Prague,  and  A.  Bauschlicher  (Eng- 
lish Patent  No.  23,438,  December  3,  1894).  The  claim  is  for  an  improved  pro- 
cess for  the  manufacture  of  acetone,  by  distilling  in  a  retort  jacketed  with  molten 
lead,  a  basic  calcium  acetate,  which  is  made  by  adding  5  per  cent,  of  lime  to  a 
very  concentrated  solution  of  calcium  acetate,  and  evaporating  to  dryness.  The 
jacket  of  molten  lead  is  used  in  order  to  avoid  overheating  the  contents  of  the 
retort  and  consequent  formation  of  by-products.    The  contents  of  the  retort  are 
T.  S.  WlEGAND, 
Registrar. 
NOTES  AND  NEWS. 
Carmine  .  .  . 
Borax  .... 
Distilled  water 
Alcohol  .... 
3  grammes. 
4 
85  cubic  centimetres. 
115  " 
