598 
Current  Literature. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\        August,  1920. 
and  connected  with  a  large  vessel  at  the  other,  and  heated  to  300— 
350°  C.  The  pressure  is  suddenly  reduced  to  about  7  mm., 
when  the  mercuric  iodide  sublimes  into  the  large  vessel  and  con- 
denses as  a  white  snow,  which  in  a  few  seconds  becomes  rose -pink, 
and  ultimately  the  usual  bright  red  color.  By  cooling  the  large  ves- 
sel previous  to  the  experiment  the  sublimate  may  be  caused  to  pre- 
serve its  colorless  form  a  longer  period.  The  yellow  variety  of 
mercuric  iodide  becomes  colorless  at  the  temperature  of  liquid  air. — - 
G.  Tamman  (Zeitschr.  anorg.  Chem.,  1920,  109,  213;  /.  Chem.  Soc, 
1920,  118  (11),  315;  through  Pharm.  Jour,  and  Pharmacist,  July  3, 
1920.) 
Fkrric  Chloride:  Test  for  Diacetic  Acid. — When  testing 
the  urine  of  a  patient  who  had  been  taking  sodium  bicarbonate 
for  gastric  hyperacidity,  Maxwell  noticed  a  red  color  with  ferric 
chloride  similar  to  that  obtained  with  diacetic  acid.  As  there  was 
no  reason  in  this  particular  case  to  suspect  acidosis  and  as  the  re- 
action of  the  urine  was  intensely  alkaline,  it  occurred  to  Maxwell 
that  the  sodium  bicarbonate  might  be  the  cause  of  the  red  color  with 
ferric  chloride.  Repeated  tests  showed  that  if  sodium  bicarbonate 
were  added  to  normal  urine  and  then  ferric  chloride,  the  urine  be- 
came a  similar  red  color  to  that  obtained  in  the  presence  of  diacetic 
acid.  In  further  experiments  the  urine  of  the  author  after  inges- 
tion of  approximately  6  Gms.  of  sodium  bicarbonate  during  a  period 
of  twenty-four  hours,  also  gave  a  red  color  on  the  addition  of  ferric 
chloride.  Presumably  the  ferric  chloride  reacts  with  the  bicar- 
bonate to  form  ferric  hydroxide,  which  dissolves  in  the  excess  of 
ferric  chloride  to  give  the  red  color,  carbon  dioxide  being  evolved 
during  the  reaction.  The  more  bicarbonate  present,  the  deeper 
the  red  color  produced.  In  all  cases  of  acidosis  which  are  being 
treated  with  alkalies,  it  is  essential  to  exclude  the  possibility  of  sodium 
bicarbonate  being  responsible  for  the  development  of  the  red  color 
when  ferric  chloride  is  added  to  the  urine.  If  this  precaution  be 
overlooked,  the  dosage  of  alkali  may  be  increased  in  the  hope  of 
overcoming  an  acidosis  which  in  reality  does  not  exist.  {Med.. 
Jour,  of  Australia,  Sydney,  May  15,  1920;  through  Jour.  Amer. 
Med.  Assoc.,  July  17,  1920.) 
Detection  of  Methyi.  Alcohol  in  Spirits:  P.  Hasse. — The 
sample  is  distilled  and  o .  5  Cc.  of  the  distillate  (containing  not  more 
