• 
Am.. Tour.  Pharm. 
Feb.,  1891. 
Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals,  97 
agitating  with  the  solution  of  the  extract.)  After  half  an  hour  20  cc. 
of  the  solvent  are  removed  and  allowed  to  evaporate  ;  the  residue  is 
dissolved  in  very  little  alcohol,  5  or  6  drops  of  cochineal  tincture  added 
and  the  alkaloid  titrated  with  hydrochloric  acid.  Each  cc. 
of  the  j-^-g-  acid  corresponds  to  atropine  0-00289 ;  hyosciamine, 
0-00289;  strychnine,  0-00334;  strychnos  alkaloids  (strychnine 
-J-  brucine)  0-00364.  The  method  is  applicable  to  the  assay  of 
extracts,  fluid  extracts  and  tinctures  (after  20  cc.  have  been  evapo- 
rated to  10  cc);  it  is  claimed  that  an  assay  can  be  made  in  one 
hour  or  in  even  less  time. — O.  Schweissinger  and  G.  Sarnow,  Pharm. 
Centralhalle,  1890,  771-77  5. 
The  Alkaloids  of  Delphinium  Staphisagria  have  been  studied  byCh. 
Kara-Stojanow  (Phar.  Ztschr.f.  Russl.,  1890).  By  slow  evaporation 
of  the  ethereal  solution  of  the  crude  alkaloids,  delphinine  separates 
in  beautiful  crystals,  next  delphisine,  and  delphinoidine  remains  in  the 
mother  liquor.  Delphinine  forms  colorless  rhombic  crystals,  melt- 
ing at  191-8°  C;  has  the  formula  C31H47N07 ;  does  not  give  any 
color  reactions ;  the  nitrate  and  sulphate  form  microscopic  crystals, 
all  other  salts  are  amorphous.  Delphisine,  after  purification,  forms 
small  needle-like  crystals,  having  the  formula  C31H50NO7,  which  is  to  be 
confirmed;  it  is  readily  soluble  in  chloroform  and  gives  no  color  reac- 
tions. Delphinoidine  is  obtained  from  the  syrupy  liquor  by  pre- 
cipitating with  petroleum  ether;  it  has  the  formula  C25H42N04, 
forms  amorphous  salts,  and  is  dissolved  by  sulphuric  or  phosphoric 
acids  with  a  brownish  color^the  solution  having  an  emerald  green 
fluorescence.  In  addition  to  these,  four  amorphous  alkaloids  were 
obtained  from  the  alkaline  solution  which  had  been  exhausted  with 
ether,  by  agitation  with  benzol,  then  with  chloroform ;  the  benzol 
solution,  as  well  as  the  chloroform  solution,  after  addition  of  petro- 
leum ether,  gave  amorphous  precipitates,  while  the  solutions  on 
evaporation  left  amorphous  residues  ;  the  quantities  were  too  small 
to  make  very  thorough  studies. 
ABSTRACTS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
Translated  for  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy. 
Preparation  of  Glucosides. — (1)  The  decoction  of  the  plant 
may  be  boiled  (to  one-half)  with  litharge,  filtered  and  concentrated 
into  a  thick  syrup.    But  this  method  does  not  always  give  good 
results,  as  the  long  exposure  to  the  air  while  boiling  may  give  rise 
