GLEANINGS. 
219 
GLEANINGS. 
By  the  Editor. 
On  Oil  of  Sesame. — M.  Fluckiger  (Schweitzer,  Woch,  f. 
Pharm.)  has  made  an  examination  of  the  seed  yielding  this  oil 
(sesamum  orientale)  which  has  been  introduced  into  the  Swiss 
Pharmacopoeia. 
Deprived  of  its  perisperm  the  seed  appears  to  be  saturated 
with  oil ;  on  removing  this  with  ether,  the  residue  consists  of 
proteic  granules  that  are  colored  yellow  by  iodine,  dissolved  by 
hot  potassa,  and  are  colored  violet  by  Barreswill's  liquid. 
They  contain  also  38  per  cent,  of  gum  soluble  in  water,  and 
when  the  seed  are  beaten  with  water  they  form  an  emulsion 
which  is  acrid  when  old  seed  are  used. 
The  seed  lose  4J  per  cent  when  dried  in  the  air,  and  give  6 
per  cent,  of  ashes,  containing  traces  of  phosphoric  acid.  The 
black  seed  give  8  per  cent,  of  ashes ;  further,  the  yellow  seed 
contain  3  per  cent,  of  nitrogen  and  56  per  cent,  of  oil. 
Oil  of  sesame  is  not  a  drying  oil.  Its  specific  gravity  -919  at 
55  Fahr.,  and  congeals  at  21°  Fahr. 
The  author  says,  this,  like  apricot  oil,  is  used  to  adulterate  the 
oils  of  olive  and  almonds.  It  is  detected  by  Behren's  reagent, 
(equal  parts  of  sulphuric  and  nitric  acids),  which  by  contact  pro- 
duces a  green  coloration  with  pure  oil  of  sesame,  reddens  ground 
nut  oil,  and  only  yellow  pure  olive  oil.  The  observation  must 
be  made  immediately  on  contact. — Jour,  de  Pharm.  Feb.,  1867. 
Bleaching  Gum. — M.  Picciotto  recommends  to  dissolve  the 
gum,  6  parts  in  15  of  water,  strain  through  linen,  and  add  re- 
cently precipitated  gelatinized  alumina ;  it  forms  a  thick  pap. 
The  coloring  matter  is  fixed  by  the  alumina  so  completely  that 
when  the  mixture  is  thrown  on  a  strainer  the  mucilage  escapes 
colorless,  and  is  then  carefully  evaporated. 
Ryoscyamia. — The  Druggists'  Circular  for  March  states,  with- 
out giving  its  authority,  that  the  alkaloid  of  henbane  has  been 
obtained  by  Kletinsky  in  the  form  of  crystals,  former  attempts 
having  only  succeeded  in  producing  an  amorphous  resinoid  body. 
The  alkaloid  is  best  procured  from  the  fresh  seed  by  digesting 
