AmAS'i89iiarm'}  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  189 
Phenerythen ;  is  the  name  proposed  for  the  red  coloring  principle 
formed  in  the  liquefied  portions  of  carbolic  acid  (Am.  Jour.  Pharm., 
1 891,  133)  in  presence  of  minute  traces  of  metal  ;  by  percolating  red 
carbolic  acid  with  benzin,  the  coloring  matter  can  be  removed,  the 
purification  being  a  mechanical  one  by  displacement. — E.  Fabini, 
Pharm.  Post,  189 1,  105. 
Linden-oil,  obtained  from  the  seeds  of  Tilia  parvifolia,  Ehrh.,  var. 
intermedia,  D.  C,  which  contain  about  58  per  cent.,  has  properties 
that  should  warrant  its  extraction  on  a  large  scale.  In  color  and 
taste  it  is  equal  to  the  best  olive  oil ;  it  is  a  non-drying  oil  and  will 
not  become  rancid;  exposed  to  low  temperatures  ( — 21-5°  C.)  it 
does  not  congeal. — C.  Muller,  Pharm.  Ztg.,  1891,  97. 
Pyroxylin. — It  may  happen  that  in  the  making  of  this  substance 
the  nitrating  of  the  cotton  is  excessive,  yielding  a  product  insoluble 
in  the  mixture  of  alcohol  and  ether  ;  to  remedy  this  Dr.  Weiss 
advises  macerating  in  water  of  ammonia  for  24  hours,  expressing 
and  again  macerating  for  24  hours  in  water  of  ammonia  ;  after 
washing  and  drying  a  pyroxylin  is  obtained  yielding  a  very  satis- 
factory collodion. — Pharm.  Ztg.,  1891,  113. 
Absorbent  cotton. — An  examination  of  a  number  of  samples  of 
absorbent  cotton  (treatment  with  ether  in  a  Soxhlet's  extraction 
apparatus)  proved  the  presence  of  fatty  acids  and  resinous  matter, 
in  all  samples,  varying  from  05  to  1-15  per  cent.  Investigation 
disclosed  that  to  meet  popular  favor  the  cotton,  after  having  been 
freed  from  fat  and  resinous  matter,  was  again  passed  through  a 
soap  solution  and  then  through  dilute  acid  ;  this  precipitates  upon  the 
fibre  a  small  quantity  of  fatty  acids,  which  give  to  the  cotton  the 
pure  white  color  and  the  peculiar  feel.  Extracting  several  samples 
cf  carefully  prepared  absorbent  cotton  with  ether,  a  residue  of 
resinous  nature  was  obtained  which  in  no  case  exceeded  0-16  per 
cent.;  this  represents  constituents  of  the  cotton  insofuble  in  boiling 
dilute  alkali  or  else  is  a  product  of  the  action  of  alkali  upon  cotton. 
The  following  is  suggested  as  a  requirement  of  absorbent  cotton  : 
20  gms.  extracted  with  ether  should,  after  the  evaporation  of  the 
ether,  leave  a  residue,  dried  at  8o°  C,  weighing  not  more  than 
0  03  gm. 
In  this  investigation  the  materials  used  in  bandaging  (mull  and 
cambric)  were  also  included  and  these  were  found  to  give  to  ether 
