AmM'Lrch,S9™'}  Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  145 
RECENT  LITERATURE  RELATING  TO  PHARMACY. 
DIGITALIS  LEAVES. 
Pharmaceutische  Rundschau  (1898,  603)  prints  an  extract  from 
the  "  Bericht"  of  the  firm  of  Caesar  and  Loretz,  concerning  digitalis. 
It  states  that  the  crop  of  1898  up  to  August  1st,  contained  a  higher 
percentage  of  digitoxin  than  that  of  the  same  period  of  1897;  while 
the  August  harvest  was  poorer  than  that  of  1897.  Cultivated  plants 
— even  those  originally  wild — yielded  Jess  digitoxin  than  the  wild, 
and  the  drug  picked  in  August  was  weaker  than  that  collected  in 
June.  The  drug  from  non-flowering  plants  contains  more  dixitoxin 
than  that  collected  at  the  same  time  from  plants  in  bloom. 
The  digitoxin  strength  is  lessened  by  exposure  of  the  powder  to 
air  and  sunlight. 
Both  digitalis  root  and  seed  contain  digitoxin — the  latter  0-162 
per  cent. 
Pure  digitoxin  is  insoluble  in  water,  yet,  from  infusion  of  digitalis, 
considerable  quantities  of  the  principle. is  obtainable.  In  explana- 
tion, it  is  said  that  the  drug  contains  other  glucosides,  forming  digi- 
toxin on  digestion.  H.  V.  Arny. 
QUANTITATIVE  ESTIMATION  OF  CAFFEINE  AND  THEOBROMINE. 
W.  Kunz  (Schw.  V\> ochensch.  fur  Chem.  und  Pharm.,  1898,  301) 
submits  a  method  of  assay  of  the  two  alkaloids,  which  he  states 
gives  good  results.  The  outlines  of  the  process  are :  extraction  of 
drug  with  boiling  water  ;  removal  of  gum,  etc.,  from  infusion  by 
freshly  precipitated  lead  hydrate  ;  filtration ;  removal  of  lead  from 
filtrate  by  carbonic  oxide  gas  ;  evaporation  of  filtrate  to  dryness  with 
sand;  and  extraction  of  residue  with  ether.  The  ethereal  solution, 
on  evaporation,  leaves  a  mixture  of  pure  theobromine  and  caffeine. 
These  are  separated  by  precipitation  and  weighing  of  theobromine 
as  silver  salt.  *  H.  V.  A. 
ESTIMATION  OF  NICOTINE  IN  TOBACCO. 
This  assay  is  conducted  by  R.  Hefelrnann  (Ph.  Centralh.,  1898, 
523)  by  treating  20  grammes  of  the  powder  with  20  c.c.  of  6  per 
cent,  solution  of  potassa,  shaking  with  200  c.c.  ether  and  withdraw- 
ing in  pipette  50  c.c.  of  the  ethereal  layer.  This  is  evaporated  in  a 
current  of  air  and  the  alkaloid  extracted  from  the  fatty  residue 
