224  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  {AmMayriSiarm' 
Ash  of  Kamala. — Carefully  selected  kamala,  according  to  P. 
Siedler,  will  not  contain  more  than  1-5  per  cent,  ash;  imported 
kamala  yields  from  21-8  to  49-1  per  cent.  ash.  By  sifting,  fractions 
are  obtained  containing  as  high  as  25  per  cent.,  and  as  low  as  5-2 
per  cent,  ash ;  high  percentage  of  mineral  matter  is  generally  due 
to  the  method  of  collection,  although  it  may  be  due  to  adulteration ; 
the  percentage  of  ash  has  notably  increased  in  the  last  few  years,  as  by 
sifting  it  is  very  often  impossible  to  get  the  drug  containing  less  than 
1 4  per  cent.  ash.  Of  45  samples  examined  only  3  contained  less  than 
6  per  cent.;  1 1  contained  between  8  and  10  per  cent.;  the  remainder 
contained  between  10  and  83-21  per  cent.  ash. — Pharm.  Ztg.f 
1891,  162. 
Betteudorf's  reagent  for  arsenic. — A  method  for  preparing  this 
reagent,  so  that  it  can  be  relied  upon,  is  to  dissolve  one  part  crystal- 
lized stannous  chloride  in  two  parts  concentrated  hydrochloric  acid 
(sp.  gr.,  i*  19-1*20);  the  solution  is  colorless,  refractive  and  fumes 
strongly  in  the  air.  It  can  be  used  in  the  examination  of  all  chemi- 
cals excepting  the  orange  sulphide  of  antimony ;  to  use  it  one  gram  or 
one  cc.  of  the  article  to  be  tested  is  dissolved  in  5  cc.  of  the  reagent,  a 
brown  precipitate  or  coloration  within  15  minutes  indicates  the  pres- 
ence of  arsenic ;  only  in  two  cases  is  it  of  importance  to  apply  the 
test  in  the  cold,  in  bismuth  subnitrate  and  solution  of  ferric  chlo- 
ride;  in  all  other  tests,  heating  to  the  boiling  point  will  bring  about 
immediate  reduction  of  the  arsenic  impurity  to  the  metallic  condi- 
tion producing  the  brown  color  or  precipitate. — Dr.  H.  Warnecke, 
Pharm.  Ztg.,  1 89 1 ,  1 67. 
Tests  of  purity  for  phenacetine. — (1)  If  2-5  gm.  chloral  hydrate 
placed  in  a  small  test  tube  be  melted  by  immersing  in  a  water  bath 
and  0-5  gm.  phenacetine  added  a  colorless  solution  will  result  upon 
agitation,  providing  the  phenacetine  be  pure ;  keeping  the  test  tube 
in  the  water  bath  for  5  minutes  produces  no  change,  but  longer 
heating  (15-30  minutes)  will  produce  a  rose  color.  In  carrying  out 
this  test  it  was  noticed  that  some  specimens  of  phenacetine  gave  on 
heating  for  2-3  minutes  an  intense  violet  coloration ;  this  was 
found  to  be  due  to  contamination  with  /-phenetidine  one  of  the 
intermediate  products  in  the  manufacture  of  phenacetine.  Frac- 
tions of  a  milligram  will  give  a  very  distinct  coloration.  As  /-phe- 
netidine  is  poisonous,  producing  in  continued  small  doses  serious 
kidney  troubles,  this  impurity  may  explain  the  bad  effects  obtained 
in  some  cases  with  phenacetine. 
