AmseptU,ri8P84arm'}      Chemical  and  Phannacognostical  Notes.  479 
bonic  anhydride,  and  the  compound  formed  should  be  represented  by 
the  formula  C10H14N2O2,  H  Br,  Br2. — Jour.  Chem.  Soc. 
Examination  of  fats. — E.  Valenta  (Dingl.  polyt.  J.  [249],  pp.  270- 
273)  has  examined  a  series  of  fats  by  a  method  proposed  by  J.  Kotts- 
torfer,  for  the  detection  of  foreign  fats  in  butter.  The  fat  to  be 
examined,  if  necessary,  is  filtered  whilst  warm,  and  a  weighed  portion 
is  saponified  with  standard  alcoholic  solution  of  potash.  After  warm- 
ing on  the  water-bath  about  fifteen  minutes,  the  excess  of  potash  is 
titrated  by  half  normal  hydrochloric  acid,  using  phenolphthalein  as 
indicator.  Pure  butter  fat  requires  per  gram  about  227  mgrms.  of 
potassium  hydroxide  for  saponification,  whilst  many  fats  used  for 
adulteration,  such  as  suet,  lard,  bacon  fat,  mutton  fat,  rape  oil,  olive 
oil,  oleomargarin,  poppy  oil,  and  walrus  oil,  require  about  197  or  198 
mgrms.  The  author  has  examined  both  animal  and  vegetable  fats. 
Some  of  the  results  obtained  tend  to  throw  doubt  on  the  suitability  of 
the  method  for  butter  testing,  whilst  in  other  cases  the  nature  of  single 
fats  can  be  ascertained,  and  adulteration  can  be  detected  quantitatively 
if  somewhat  considerable.  The  results  obtained  are  given  in  tabular 
form.  Palm-kernel  oil  with  247  mgrms.,  and  cocoa  nut  oil  with  257 
to  268  mgrms.,  are  much  higher  than  any  others  of  the  list,  excepting 
cod  liver  oil  with  213  mgrms.  Cocoa  nut  oil  contains  not  inconsider- 
able quantities  of  lauric  and  myristic  acids,  also  small  quantities  of 
caprylic  acid,  etc.  These  acids  contain  much  less  carbon  in  the  mole- 
cule than  do  palmitic,  stearic,  and  oleic  acids,  hence  the  high  saponi- 
fying value  of  this  fat.  Apricot-kernel  oil,  oil  of  sweet  almonds,  oil  of 
of  bitter  almonds,  arachis  oil,  cotton-seed  oil,  olive,  sesame  oil,  average 
193  mgrms.  Pumpkin  seed  oil,  oil-cake  oil,  rape  oil  (Hungarian  pro- 
duct), average  188*1  mgrms.  Rape  oil,  mustard  seed  oil,  and  castor 
oil,  average  177*1  mgrms.  American  bone  fat,  goose  fat,  pig  fat,  aver- 
age 191  to  196.— Ibid. 
Examination  of  beeswax. — (Hiibl,  Dingl.  polyt.  J.  [249],  pp.  338- 
342.)  Along  with  physical  examination,  F.  Becker's  saponifying  test 
is  of  value.  This  test  is  given  as  Kottstorfer's  butter  test.  A  ccord- 
ing  to  Becker,  1  gram  beeswax  requires  97  to  107  mgrm.  potassium 
hydroxide  for  complete  saponification.  By  mixing  various  waxy  sub- 
stances, impure  beeswax  can  be  made  to  give  the  same  number.  This 
difficulty  can  be  overcome  by  ascertaining  not  only  the  total  amount  of 
potash  required  for  complete  saponification,  but  also  that  required  to 
saturate  the  free  acid  (cerotic  acid)  present.    Two  numbers  are  thus 
