AmjJu°iy?Sarm"}  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  333 
is  not  suitable  for  the  detection  of  traces  of  these  alcohols,  but  is 
serviceable  as  a  class  reaction.  The  test  is  not  given  by  polyatomic 
alcohols,  carbohydrates,  acids,  phenols,  aromatic  compounds,  etc. — 
Dr.  B.  v.  Bitto,  Chemiker  Ztg.,  1893,  611. 
Fish-oils. — The  examination  of  a  number  of  different  fish-oils 
demonstrate  that  the  solid  fatty  acids  are  made  up  in  the  main  of 
palmitic  acid  with  small  quantities  of  stearic  acid ;  the  liquid  fatty 
acids  are  not  identical  with  any  of  the  known  acids:  Asellic  acid, 
C17H3202,  and  jecoric  acid,  ClsH30O2,  isomeric  with  linolenic  acid,  to 
which  the  easy  oxidation  of  the  oils  is  due ;  both  of  these  acids  are 
oxidizable  by  alkaline  permanganate  of  potassium  solution  yielding 
characteristic  oxy-acids ;  the  ultimate  analysis  of  the  oxy-jecoric 
acid  gave  results  indicating  the  presence  of  a  third  acid  possibly 
isomeric  with  linolic  acid. — Dr.  W.  Fahrion,  Chemiker  Ztg.,  i<  93, 
684. 
Red  phosphorus,  also  well  known  as  amorphous  phosphorus,  has 
been  proven  by  J.  W.  Retgers  to  be  crystalline  and  doubly  refracting, 
by  examining  the  powder,  immersed  in  di-iodomethane  ;  the  thinnest 
fragments  were  found  to  be  transparent,  having  a  beautiful  carmine 
or  scarlet  color.  It  is  possible  that  the  so-called  metallic  phos- 
phorus, which  also  in  minute  fragments  transmits  a  red  light,  is 
nothing  more  than  a  better  crystallized  red  phosphorus  ;  should 
this  be  verified  there  would  be  but  two  modifications  of  phosphorus: 
the  yellow  crystallizing  in  the  regular  system  and  the  red  belonging 
to  the  hexagonal  system. — (Ztschr.  anorg.  Chem.)  Chem.  Repert., 
1893,  142. 
Tribromphenol-bismuth,  considered  by  Professor  Hueppe,  of 
Prague,  to  be  a  specific  against  cholera,  is  a  neutral,  odorless,  taste- 
less, insoluble,  non-poisonous,  yellow  powder,  behaving  indifferently 
towards  the  mucous  membranes  and  digestive  organs  ;  it  contains 
150  per  cent,  tribromphenol  and  49  5  per  cent,  bismuth  oxide;  the 
dose  for  an  adult  is  5-7  grams,  given  in  single  doses  of  0  5  gram. 
Beta-naphthol- bismuth,  also  recommended  as  an  intestinal  anti- 
septic in  cholera  and  diarrhoea,  contains  80  per  cent,  bismuth  oxide; 
it  is  a  neutral,  odorless,  brown  powder,  insoluble  in  water.  The 
dose  is  one  to  two  grams  a  day.  Hueppe  gives  the  following  scale 
of  phenol-compounds,  arranged  according  to  their  effectiveness 
against  the  comma-bacillus ;  Tribromphenol-bismuth,  beta-naphthol- 
