Am. .lour.  Pharm, 
May,  18!  9. 
Notes  and  News, 
xix 
Manganese  in  PeanTS. — In  confirmation  of  the  theory  lately  advanced 
of  the  importance  of  manganese  in  the  vegetable  and  animal  economy,  P. 
Richard  [Compt,  rend.,  1898,  p.  1882)  finds  that  it  is  universally  present  in 
the  ash  of  all  forms  of  organized  matter.  Some  are  especially  rich  in  manga- 
nese as  the  seeds  of  phanerogams  and  tissues  of  rapidly  growing  cryptogams. 
Its  presence  is  indicated  in  cow  and  horse  dung,  various  marine  animals 
(molluscs  and  Crustacea)  and  in  the  bones,  eggs,  flesh  and  hair  of  vertebrates. 
Estimation  of  Ote  in  Aqu^E. — Beckurts  and  Fierichs  recommend  the  fol- 
lowing modification  {Pharm.  Zeit.,  1898,  p.  563)  of  Ranwez's  method  for  the 
estimation  of  the  volatile  oil  in  aromatic  waters:  200  c.c.  of  the  water  are 
placed  in  a  separator  and  60  grammes  of  NaCl  added  and  the  oil  removed  by 
repeated  shaking  with  ether.  The  portions  containing  oil  are  united,  dried 
with  CaCl2  and  the  ether  distilled  off  until  only  10-15  cc>  remain  and  the 
ether  of  this  portion  is  removed  by  the  aid  of  a  filter  pump.  The  tempera- 
ture of  the  flask  sinks  to  the  freezing-point,  thus  preventing  the  escape  of  any 
volatile  oil.  When  the  ice  on  the  sides  of  the  flask  ceases  to  form  any  longer, 
the  connection  with  the  pump  is  severed  and  the  flask  dried  and  weighed.  The 
value  of  concentrated  Aquce,  which  contain  more  or  less  alcohol,  cannot  be 
estimated  in  this  manner.  Aqua  Fceniculi  and  Aqua  Menth.  Piperitse  con- 
tain 6  per  cent,  volatile  oil. 
Cannabinoe. — T,  B.  Wood  and  W.  T.  W.  Spirey  have  prepared  the  acetate 
of  cannabinol.  To  this  crystalline  substance  they  assign  the  formula  C15H1802, 
which  differs  from  that  given  by  Dunstan  and  Henry.  They  further  find  that 
the  so-called  cannabinol  is  not  the  active  constituent  of  Indian  hemp. 
A  Good  Fire  Extinguisher.— On  September  2d  (according  to  Chem.  and 
Drug.,  1898,  574)  a  two-pound  packet  of  colored  fire  exploded  at  Elgil's  phar- 
macy, Durban,  and  immediately  the  flames  spread,  but  the  heat  caused  a  bottle 
of  ammonia  to  burst  and  this  appears  to  have  extinguished  the  fire,  which  was 
only  discovered  on  opening  the  shop  the  next  morning. 
OiE  of  Oeive  Pits.— Klein  shows  that  the  oil  of  the  pits  of  the  olive  is  made 
up  of  the  same  constituents  (excepting  arachinic  acid,  which  is  wanting 
entirely  in  the  pits)  as  that  of  the  pulp  of  the  olive.  There  is  a  difference,  how- 
ever, in  the  quantities  of  the  various  constituents. — Zeitschr.  f.  Angew.  Chem., 
l898>  37  ;  Pharm.  Zeit.,  1898,  723. 
Permanent  Lemon  Juice  may  be  prepared  {Pharm.  Pundsch.)  when  the 
fresh  juice  is  mixed  with  one-quarter  its  volume  of  talc  powder,  repeatedly 
shaken  for  some  hours,  allowed  to  stand  and  filtered.  The  filtrate  is  mixed  with 
10  per  cent,  sugar,  boiled  and  put  into  bottles  which  have  been  previously  treated 
with  boiling  water.  They  are  then  corked  and  sealed  with  paraffin. — Sudd.- 
Apoth.-Zeit.,  1898,  622. 
Neutralizing  Nicotine  in  Tobacco. — Gerald  has  found  that  (the  Med. 
Age.,  1898,  565)  if  during  the  process  of  manufacture  of  cigars  the  leaves  are 
steeped  in  a  decoction,  the  principal  element  of  which  is  wild  marjoram  {Ori- 
ganum vulgare)  the  deleterious  effects  of  tobacco  are  avoided,  and  yet  the 
quality  and  aroma  are  not  altered. 
