756 
Current  Literature, 
(  Am  Jour.  Pharm. 
\       October,  1920. 
sodium  nitropnisside-sodium  hydroxide,  {c)  apomorphine-sulphuric 
acid,  {d)  peptone-ferric  chloride,  {e)  reduced  fuchsine-sulphuric  acid 
and  two  crystal-producing  tests,.  (/)  5-naphthol-hydrochloric  acid 
and  (g)  hexamethylenetetramine -mercuric  chloride. 
The  five  color  reactions  are  sensitive  to  i  in  200,000  but  the 
crystal-forming  reactions  are  reliable  down  to  5  per  cent,  of  methyl 
alcohol  and  in  solutions  containing  less  than  this  amount  the  alcohol 
must  be  concentrated  by  fractional  distillation. 
Of  the  reactions  classed  under  the  heading  of  Group  (B)  only 
two  out  of  twelve  appear  to  be  reliable  and  easily  performed.  These 
are:  {h)  boiling  for  seven  hours  with  hydroxylamine  and  potassium 
hydroxide  under  a  reflux  condenser  when  cyanide  is  produced  and 
may  be  tested  for  in  the  usual  way  and  {i)  determination  of  the 
sp.  gr.  and  refractive  index  of  the  solution.  The  former  test  is  very 
sensitive  while  the  latter  is  reliable  for  not  less  than  5  per  cent,  of 
methyl  alcohol  and  is  liable  to  interference  by  the  presence  of  sub- 
stances other  than  ethyl  and  methyl  alcohols  and  water. 
Detection  of  methyl  alcohol  in  liquors:  100  Cc.  of  the  liquor  are 
neutralized  with  sodium  carbonate  to  phenolphthalein  and  slowly 
distilled  until  50  Cc.  of  distillate  are  collected.  This  is  divided  into 
two  portions  of  30  Cc.  and  20  Cc.  the  latter  being  tested  directly 
by  the  above  reactions  ik)  and  {i).  To  the  30  Cc.  portion  of  dis- 
tillate 100  Cc.  of  10  per  cent,  sulphuric  acid  are  added  followed  by 
6  grams  of  potassium  dichromate  and  the  whole  allowed  to  stand 
ten  minutes.  The  flask  is  connected  to  a  condenser  and  distilled 
so  that  about  30  Cc.  of  distillate  are  collected  in  one  hour.  This 
distillate  contains  most  of  the  acetaldehyde  and  is  rejected  and 
distillation  then  continued  somewhat  more  rapidly  until  about  60 
Cc.  are  obtained.  This  fraction  which  contains  nearly  all  the 
formaldehyde  is  then  tested  by  the  above  reactions  in  the  following 
sequence:  (6),  (c),  {d),  {e),  (g),  (/).  A  definite  reaction  with  one  or 
two  of  these  tests  only  may  be  due  to  foreign  substances,  but  if 
methyl  alcohol  was  originally  present,  all  the  results  obtained  wiil  be 
positive. 
Detection  of  methyl  alcohol  in  tissues:  500  Gms.  of  tissue  are 
finely  ground  and  placed  in  a  large  distillation  flask  with  500  Cc. 
of  water.  Sulphuric  acid  is  added  until  a  distinctly  acid  reaction  is 
produced,  and  the  mixture  is  then  distilled  in  a  current  of  steam. 
Three  hundred  Cc.  are  collected,  neutralized,  and  again  distilled 
slowly,  this  distillate  being  oxidized  as  above,  when  subsequent 
# 
