Amju0n/;iJ899arra'}    Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  277 
THE  CONSTITUENTS  OF  HAMAMELIS  BARK. 
F.  Griittner  publishes  (Archiv.  d.  Pharm.,  1898,  278)  a  lengthy 
thesis  on  witch  hazel  bark,  that  is  a  model  of  skill  and  care. 
Passing  over  minutiae,  the  salient  points  of  the  investigation  are 
that  the  bark  contains  : 
(1)  Fat,  chiefly  an  ester  of  a  monatomic  alcohol,  identical  with 
physosterin,  and  oleic  and  palmitic  acids. 
(2)  Gallic  acid,  proven  an  actual  constituent  of  the  unmodified 
bark. 
(3)  Tannins  consisting  of  crystalline  and  amorphous  forms  of  a 
body  having  formula,  C14H1405,  with  varying  amount  of  water.  These 
two  bodies,  which  he  calls  hamamelitannin,  are  dextrogyre,  possess 
five  hydrox)4  groups  and  one  carboxyl,form  definite  benzoyl  deriva- 
tives and  hydrolyse  to  gallic  acid.  There  is  also  a  tannin  hydro- 
lysing  to  glucose  and  gallic  acid. 
(4)  Sugar  (see  Cheney,  A.  7.  P.,  1886,  417),  which  yields,  with 
phenyl  hydrazin,  an  osazone  of  formula,  C6H10O4(N2HC6H5)2,  hence 
a  glucose.  H.  V.  A. 
ELDER  JUICE  IN  ERGOT  EXTRACT. 
Cepellini  {Boll.  Chimico.-farm.,  1898,  263,  from  Sud~deutsch. 
Apoth.  Zeit.)  notes  that  extract  of  ergot,  found  in  Italian  commerce, 
is  adulterated  with  elder  juice.  It  can  be  detected  by  dissolving 
1  gramme  of  the  suspected  extract  in  30  drops  sulphuric  acid  diluted 
with  6  c.c.  water,  adding  10  c.c.  oil  turpentine,  shaking  well,  al- 
lowing to  stand  and  passing  through  a  filter  moistened  with  turpen- 
tine. The  filtrate  should  separate  in  two  layers — the  turpentine 
layer  being  colorless  and  the  lower  layer  the  color  of  malaga  wine. 
Should  the  upper  layer  be  green-yellow  and  the  lower  bright  red, 
elder  juice  is  present.  H.  V.  A. 
BISMUTH  TESTS. 
H.  Thorns  {Suddeutsch.,  Apoth.  Zeit.,  2898,  376)  recommends  the 
following  quantitative  test  of  bismuth  subnitrate  : 
At  red  heat  it  should  give  off  yellow  fumes  and  leave  a  residue  of 
bismuth  oxide  amounting  to  79  to  80  5  per  cent,  original  weight 
(instead  of  79-82  per  cent.,  as  at  present). 
Two  grammes  shaken  in  a  100  c.c.  flask  with  a  little  water,  10  c.c. 
normal  potassium  hydrate  added  and  the  mixture  allowed  to  stand 
