404 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica. 
j  Am.  Jour.  Pharni. 
1      Aug.,  1885. 
the  latter  interferes  with  many  of  the  uses  for  which  corn  is  otherwise 
adapted,  but  the  ripe  fruit  cannot  be  deprived  of  the  oil  by  pressure. 
After  the  grain  has  been  malted,  the  light  germ  may  be  separated  by 
careful  crushing  and  winnowing,  and  yields  by  pressure  about  15  per 
cent,  of  oil,  and  a  press  cake,  rich  in  albuminoids  and  retaining  4  or  5 
per  cent,  of  oil.  In  the  manufacture  of  starch  the  ground  mixture  of 
corn  and  water,  on  standing,  deposits  the  starch  and  leaves  a  milky 
liquid,  which  readily  undergoes  putrefaction.  This  liquid  is  an  emul- 
sion of  oil  of  maize  in  the  dissolved  albuminoids,  and  may  be  utilized 
for  the  production  of  both  substances.  The  separation  may  be  accom- 
plished according  to  a  patent  granted  March  10,  1885,  to  Dr.  F.  V. 
Greene,  by  precipitation  by  heat  or  by  diluted  mineral  acids  or  various 
salts,  notably  by  aluminum  sulpliate.  According  to  the  manipulation 
the  oil  may  be  recovered  by  filtration,  by  pressure  or  by  a  solvent,  the 
remaining  albuminoids  being  valuable  for  manure  or  for  other  purposes. 
Oil  of  maize  has  been  used  to  some  extent  as  a  lubricator  and  for 
soap-making.  It  is  of  a  yellowish  or  bright  yellow  color,  bland,  rather 
thick,  has  the  specific  gravity  0*92  and  at— 10°  C.  (14°  F.)  congeals  to 
a  white  mass.  The  oil  is  colored  transiently  dark  green  by  sulphuric 
acid,  and  orange  red  by  nitric  acid,  and  by  nitrous  acid  it  is  converted 
into  a  somewhat  soft  yellow  mass. 
Aloin.  Dr.  Justus  Dietrich  (Thesis,  Dorpat,  1885)  has  studied  the 
detection  of  aloin  in  animal  secretions  and  excretions,  and  found  the 
following  reactions  serviceable  for  this  purpose : 
HNOa+KCy. — The  residue  left  on  evaporating  the  alcoholic  solu- 
tion was  dissolved  in  a  few  drops  of  nitric  acid,  the  solution  evaporated 
by  means  of  a  steam  bath,  dissolved  in  alcohol,  and  the  deep  red  solu- 
tion treated  with  a  drop  of  alcoholic  solution  of  potassium  cyanide, 
which  produced  a  rose-color  Avith  five  different  aloins. 
In  the  following  tests  the  aloin  residues  were  dissolved  in  a  little 
water  : 
Chloride  of  gold  produced  with  barbaloin  a  raspberry  red  color 
(still  recognizable  with  0*00006  aloin)  after  some  time  changing  to 
violet.  Socaloin  and  cape-aloin  gave  a  rather  faint  color,  rapidly 
changing  to  violet ;  nataloin  red-violet,  rapidly  turning  to  violet ; 
Cura9ao-aloin  bright  red. 
Bromated  potassium  bromide  gave  a  distinct  turbidity  with  the  aloins 
of  Barbadoes,  Socotra  and  Curayao ;  none  with  Port  Natal  or  Cape- 
aloin. 
