jAjn* oc t?f iSarm* }  Gleanijigs  from  the  German  Journals.  493 
Estimation  of  phosphorus  in  medicinal  preparations.  The  phos- 
phorus is  extracted  from  the  remedy  by  triturating  in  a  mortar 
with  carbon  disulphide  (which  itself  must  not  show  any  color  when 
agitated  with  silver  nitrate  solution);  the  extraction  is  continued  with 
fresh  portions  of  the  solvent  until  the  nitrate  gives  only  a  faint  brown, 
coloration  with  silver  nitrate.  The  carbon  disulphide  solution  (con- 
taining 20-40  mg.  phosphorus)  is  then  agitated  with  10  cc.  of  a  five 
per  cent,  silver  nitrate  solution,  and  10  cc.  water  until  the  maximum 
intensity  of  color  due  to  the  formation  of  silver  phosphide  is 
reached ;  20  cc.  dilute  intric  acid  are  next  added,  the  mixture  thor- 
oughly agitated,  the  carbon  disulphide  distilled  off  and  the  phos- 
phoric acid  precipitated  by  ammonium  molybdate  and  converted 
into  magnesium  pyrophosphate. — Julius  Toth,  Chemiker  Ztg.y  1893, 
1244. 
Sodium  fluoride  used  as  a  preservative  of  foods  is  apparently  not 
the  harmless  agent  that  it  is  claimed  to  be ;  some  fish  kept  in  a  2*/2 
per  cent,  solution  of  sodium  fluoride  at  16—3 5 0  C,  showed  signs 
of  decomposition  at  the  end  of  two  weeks ;  a  5  per  cent,  solu- 
tion kept  the  fish  in  good  appearance  for  six  months.  To  test 
the  question  as  to  the  physiological  effect  of  such  preserved  food  a 
portion  of  baked  fish  was  eaten,  the  flow  of  saliva  was  notably 
increased  at  once,  followed  a  little  later  by  vomiting  and  purg- 
ing, these  symptoms  of  poisoning  disappearing  during  48  hours. 
The  quantity  of  sodium  fluoride  taken  in  this  case  was  esti- 
mated at  5-5  grams;  one  gram  taken  by  a  grown  person  during  a 
meal  was  followed  by  salivation,  headache  and  nausea.  These  signs 
of  impaired  digestion  continued  for  over  48  hours. — A.  G.  Bloxam, 
Chemiker  Ztg.,  1893,  1244. 
Starch  and  dextrin,  dry  or  in  solution,  are  bleached  and  deodor- 
ized by  simultaneous  treating  with  chlorine  and  ozone,  either  as  gases 
or  in  solutions.  From  the  patent  claim  these  two  bleaching  agents 
perfect  each  other  in  the  bleaching  of  the  coloring  matters  in  the 
above  substances.  The  bleached  dextrin  is  odorless  and  tasteless 
and  is  used  as  a  substitute  for  gum  arabic. —  Chemiker  Ztg.,  1893, 
1289. 
Salacetol,  the  ester  of  salicylic  acid  and  acetylcarbinol,  is  a 
synthetic  product  intended  to  replace  sodium  salicylate  and  salol, 
especially  the  latter  because  of  the  fear  of  poisoning  by  carbolic 
