49 2  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  {Am,o2?!rira3.arm' 
ing  in  a  cork-stoppered  salt  mouthed  bottle,  it  had  become  decidedly 
rancid,  with  the  acidity  figure  17*36;  the  cork  was  bleached  and 
quite  soft. 
Oleo-creasotey  the  ester  of  oleic  acid  and  creasote  is  a  yellow,  oily 
liquid,  having  a  faint  odor  of  creasote  but  free  from  the  caustic  taste 
of  creasote;  it  is  insoluble  in  water,  alcohol  and  glycerin,  but  easily 
soluble  in  absolute  alcohol  and  ether.  Being  a  neutral  body,  daily 
doses  of  io-i  5  grams  can  be  administered  without  interfering  with 
the  functions  of  the  stomach.  It  can  be  made  by  allowing  74-4  gm. 
pure  creasote  and  109-2  gm.  pure  oleic  acid  to  stand  for  several 
hours  before  heating  in  an  oil-bath  to  1 3  5 0  C.  for  r  y2  hours  ;  the 
product  is  then  repeatedly  washed  with  distilled  water,  next  with  a 
dilute  soda  solution  and  lastly  again  with  distilled  water ;  to  remove 
the  last  traces  of  water  it  is  agitated  with  anhydrous  sodium  sul- 
phate. The  yield  is  rather  unsatisfactory,  as  only  about  fifty  per 
cent,  of  the  theoretical  quantity  is  obtained. — C.  Levy,  Journ.  der 
Pharm.  v.  Els.-Lothr.,  1893,  249. 
Easily  soluble  quinine  double-salts,  according  to  an  application 
for  a  German  patent,  can  be  made  by  either  dissolving  quinine  sul- 
phate in  diluted  hydrochloric  acid  and  evaporating  in  vacuo,  or  by 
passing  hydrochloric  acid  gas  over  quinine  sulphate  previously  dried 
at  ioo°  C,  displacing  the  excess  of  acid  vapors  by  a  current  of  air 
and  finally  drying  in  vacuo  in  the  presence  of  potash.  The  salt  has 
the  formula,  (C20H^N_X>2)2  2  HC1  H2S04  +  3  H20.  It  crystallizes 
in  needle-shaped  masses,  loses  its  water  of  crystallization  between 
ioo°  and  1080,  is  very  easily  soluble,  the  anhydrous  salt  dissolv- 
ing in  an  equal  weight  of  cold  water.  Instead  of  quinine  sulphate 
the  alkaloid  with  the  proper  quantities  of  hydrochloric  and  sulphuric 
acids  may  be  used.  The  corresponding  double  salt  containing 
hydrobromate  with  sulphate  has  an  analogous  formula  but  is 
not  so  soluble,  the  anhydrous  salt  dissolving  in  about  three  parts 
of  water. — Sudd.  Apoth.  Ztg.t  1893,  339- 
The  banana  fruit  contains  cane  sugar  as  the  chief  carbohydrate, 
invertase  is  also  present,  explaining  the  various  proportions  of  cane 
sugar  and  invert  sugar  existing  in  infusions  made  at  different  tem- 
peratures. At  54— 570  C.  a  five  hours'  digestion  will  not  only  com- 
pletely invert  the  saccharose  existing  in  the  fruit  but  considerable 
additional  quantities. — D.  F.  Mieran,  Chemiker  Ztg.,  1893,  1021. 
