238  Gleanings  from  Foreign  Journals. 
lect  this  precipitate,  wash  with  a  little  distilled  water  and  dry  in  a 
warm  place.  1  Gm.  aloes  giving  about  2*35  Gm.  of  the  lead  com- 
pound, multiply  the  weight  of  the  latter  by  0*4256  ;  the  result  gives 
approximately  the  amount  of  aloes. 
To  determine  the  aloes,  as  such,  mix  the  lead  compound  with  an 
equal  weight  of  sulphate  of  ammonium,  moisten  with  water  on  a  shal- 
low plate,  kept  in  a  w^arm  place;  repeat  moistening  and  drying,  to  get 
rid  of  the  ammonia,  and  extract  the  dry  mass  with  warm  80  per  cent, 
alcohol;  the  residue  yielded  from  the  latter  solution,  increased  by  12 
per  cent.,  gives  the  amount  of  aloes  of  the  original  mixture. — Phar. 
Centraih.,  No.  12,  1885. 
Mondamin  is  the  meal  of  Indian  corn  deprived  of  oil. — Ph.  Cen- 
traih., No,  10,  1885. 
Tasteless  quinine  tannate,  containing  a  maximum  quantity  of  the 
alkaloid.  Mr.  Peltz  (''Ph.  Ztg.  f.  Russland,''  1885,  p.  80)  recom- 
mends the  use  of  a  solution  (1:30)  of  hydrochlorate  gf  quinine  (in 
place  of  the  sulphate),  which  is  added  to  a  solution  of  tannic  acid 
previously  neutralized  with  ammonia.  After  24  hours  the  precipitate 
is  collected,  washed,  and  dried  at  a  temperature  not  exceeding  30°C. 
The  tannate  thus  obtained  is  a  pale  yellowish  white  amorphous  pow- 
der, containing  at  least  20  per  cent,  of  quinine,  is  soluble  in  400  parts 
of  cold  water,  in  50  parts  of  hot  water,  in  48  parts  of  cold  alcohol, 
and  in  3  parts  of  hot  alcohol. 
Vincetoxin. — Ch.  Tanret,  in  an  investigation  of  Vincetoxicum  offi- 
cinale, found  two  modifications  of  vincetoxin,  a  glucoside  of  the  for- 
mula CigHjgOg,  one  soluble,  the  other  insoluble,  in  water.  The  coarse 
powder,  mixed  with  some  slaked  lime,  is  exhausted  with  water,  the 
solution  saturated  with  chloride  of  sodium,  the  precipitate  washed  with 
salted  water,  dried,  shaken  with  chloroform,  decolorized  with  char- 
coal, the  liquid  distilled,  and  the  residue  dissolved  in  an  equal  weight 
of  alcohol.  Now  add  ether,  for  precipitation,  then  half  of  the  entire 
volume  of  water,  and  shake.  Evaporate  the  watery  solution,  which 
yields  the  soluble  modification.  To  the  etherial  solution  add  water 
rendered  slightly  alkaline,  which  separates  a  resinous  acid ;  shake  with 
diluted  H2SO4,  neutralize,  distil,  and  dry  the  residue  at  100°C.,  when 
the  second  modification  is  obtained. — Rep.  Pharm.  Chimie,  No.  3, 
1885. 
The  following  formulas  have  been  selected  from  a  number  contrib- 
uted by  Eug.  Dieterich  to  "  Phar.  Centralhalle,''  1885 : 
