148 
Impurity  in  Ether, 
i  Am.  Jour,  Pharm. 
1     Maach,  1885. 
Betaine  in  Cotton  Seed. — In  the  mother-liquor,  from  which  melitose 
had  been  separated,  H.  Ritthaussen  and  F.  Weger  found  betaine,  but 
have  not  yet  ascertained  in  what  form  the  alkaloid  occurs  in  cotton 
seed. — Jour.  f.  prak.  Chem.,  xxx,  pp.  32-37. 
Betaine  was  discovered  by  Scheibler  (1866)  in  the  juice  of  the  sugar 
beet,  and  was  shown  by  Husemann  (1875)  to  be  identical  with  lycine, 
an  alkaloid  isolated  from  Lycium  vulgare,  Dunal,  by  Husemann  and 
Marme  (1863).  The  same  alkaloid  is  also  obtained  by  the  careful  oxi- 
dation of  neurine,  an  alkaloid  obtainable  from  bile,  brain  and  yelk  of 
egg.   
NOTE  ON  AN  IMPURITY  IN  ETHER. 
By  C.  J.  H.  Warden,  M.D., 
Chemical  Examiner  to  the  Government  of  Bengal. 
While  in  India  last  year,  I  accidentally  discovered  that  all  the  samples 
of  ether  in  my  laboratory,  when  agitated  with  an  aqueous  solution  ot 
potassic  iodide,  liberated  iodine,  and  communicated  a  yellow,  or  dark 
reddish  color  to  the  solution,  the  ether  remaining  colorless. 
On  agitating  the  ether  first  with  a  strong  aqueous  solution  of  potassic 
hydrate,  or  solid  caustic  potash,  the  caustic  potash  solution  was  colored 
yellow  and  the  solid  hydrate  incrusted  with  a  dark  reddish-yellow 
deposit,  and  the  ether  thus  purified  no  longer  possessed  the  power  of 
liberating  iodine  from  iodide  of  potassium. 
The  samples  of  ether  tested  had  all  been  received  from  well-known 
English  druggists,  and  the  bottles  were  labelled  "ether  pur.  B.P." 
Since  I  have  been  in  Europe  I  have  only  had  an  opportunity  of 
examining  one  specimen  and  this  also  liberated  iodine.  On  examina- 
tion, however,  it  will  probably  be  ascertained  that  most  of  the  ether 
in  the  market  responds  to  the  test.  I  have  not  been  able  to  investigate 
the  cause  of  the  reaction ;  it  is  very  possibly  due  to  the  presence  of 
aldehyde  in  the  ether,  and  this  view  receives  support  from  the  action 
of  the  ether  on  caustic  potash,  already  described,  the  yellow  coloration 
being  caused  by  the  formation  of  aldehyde  resin. 
As  ether  is  now  extensively  employed  as  an  anaesthetic,  and  as  alde- 
hyde (assuming  its  presence)  is  not  inert,  its  presence,  or  that  of  any 
other  impurity,  in  the  drug  intended  for  inhalation  must  be  considered 
objectionable.  Aldehyde  is  described^  as  possessing  a  peculiar  ethereal, 
^  Roscoe's  "  Organic  Chemistry." 
