280  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  {Am j^u£ig£rm- 
Phosphoric  acid  in  wines  has  been  estimated  by  Morgenstern  and 
Paolinoff  (Jour.  Pharm.et  Chim.,MdLy,  1893,  p.  482)  by  the  molybdate 
and  the  citrate  methods,  and  they  find  that  the  latter  gives  the  best 
results.  They  apply  their  simplified  method  directly  to  the  wine,  with- 
out first  submitting  it  to  evaporation,  and  without  calcining  the  dry 
residue,  thereby  avoiding  considerable  loss  of  time.  200  cc.  of  wine 
are  placed  in  a  conical  glass,  boiled  for  some  time  to  remove  alcohol, 
20  cc.  of  nitric  acid,  sp.  gr.  1-38,  added,  and  the  boiling  continued  to 
eliminate  the  greater  part  of  the  nitrogen  oxides.  After  cooling, 
ammonia  is  added  to  neutral  reaction,  and  to  the  cooled  liquid  50  cc. 
ammonium  citrate  are  added.  Then  add  drop  by  drop,  and  stirring 
constantly,  50  cc.  magnesium  mixture,  when  ammonio-magnesium 
phosphate  will  at  once  deposit.  The  pyro  salt  obtained  after  calci- 
nation is  entirely  white. 
Tar  water. — Ernest  Gille  states  that  the  concentrated  tar  solution 
of  the  Belgian  pharmacopoeia  (Norwegian  tar,  250  ;  sodium  bicarbo- 
nate, 15;  water,  1,000;  heat  in  a  water-bath  for  3  hours  and  con- 
dense volatile  products)  has  the  specific  gravity  of  1-0127,  leaves, 
upon  the  evaporation  and  drying  of  the  residue,  3-7052  per  cent,  of 
extract,  and  yields  0-893  2  per  cent.  ash.  The  tar  water  (made  from 
cone,  tar  solution  30,  and  distilled  water  970)  differs  but  little  from 
pure  water  in  density,  has  but  a  slight  tint,  keeps  unaltered  for  a 
long  time  and  yields  00918  per  cent,  of  extract  and  0-0253  per  cent, 
of  ash.  The  tar  water  of  the  German  pharmacopoeia  is  consider- 
ably darker,  becomes  rapidly  cloudy,  has  the  specific  weight  1-0027, 
and  yields  04966  per  cent,  extract  and  0-0308  per  cent.  ash. 
Jeannel's  formula,  triturating  intimately  10  gm.  tar  with  10  gm. 
sodium  carbonate  and  diluting  to  obtain  1  kgm.,  gives  a  tar  water 
whose  specific  weight  is  1-0042,  and  which  yields  1-2085  per  cent, 
extract  and  0  3640  per  cent.  ash. 
Tar  water  prepared  according  to  the  Belgian  pharmacopoeia,  if 
subjected  to  distillation  in  a  current  of  steam,  yields  a  liquid  which 
slightly  reddens  litmus,  turns  brown  by  action  of  alkalies,  shows 
strong  reducing  power,  is  colored  violet  by  ferric  chloride,  and 
yields  iodoform  with  iodine  and  potassium.  It  gives  the  reactions 
of  furfurol  with  aniline  and  hydrochloric  acid.  The  concentrated 
liquor  of  the  Belgian  Pharmacopoeia  shows  the  same  characters 
under  the  same  condition,  but,  of  course,  in  greater  degree.  That 
-of  the  German  pharmacopoeia,  upon  distillation,  yields  a  liquid 
