AmAu°g!'iSiarm"}  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  407 
affections  acting  in  the  same  manner  as  benzosol  and  styracol  (Am. 
Jour.  Pharm.,  1890,  444  and  1891,  188). — Dr.  H.  Thorns,  Pharm. 
Centralhalle,  1891,  365. 
Metallic  sodium. — To  remove  the  black  crust  from  the  metal,  Max 
Rosenfeld  places  the  metal  in  a  mixture  of  I  part  amyl  alcohol  and 
3  parts  petroleum,  rubbing  with  a  cloth  thoroughly  saturated  with 
this  liquid  until  the  metal  becomes  silvery  white  in  color,  then  it  is 
placed  for  a  short  time  in  petroleum  containing  5  per  cent,  amyl- 
alcohol,  washed  with  petroleum  and,  lastly,  kept  in  a  vessel  con- 
taining petroleum  with  0  5  to  1  per  cent,  amyl  alcohol.  Sodium  by 
this  treatment  takes  a  beautiful  metallic  lustre  and  shows  crystalline 
figures  on  the  surface;  after  prolonged  keeping  in  the  last-named 
liquid  a  yellow  film  may  coat  the  metal,  but  this  can  be  removed 
simply  by  rubbing  with  filter-paper.  Potassium  and  lithium  may 
be  purified  in  the  same  way. — (Ber.  d.  D.  Chem.  Ges.)  Pharm.  Cen- 
tralhalle, 1 89 1,  395. 
Oil  of  lemon  by  fractional  distillation  yields  three  well-defined 
fractions  : 
(1)  170-170  50  C,  forming  a  colorless,  mobile  liquid,  sp.  gr.  0  8867 
and  having  a  very  fine  lemon  odor;  it  consists  of  limonene  C10^16, 
forming  the  tetrabromide  melting  at  31°  C. ;  also  the  dichlorhydrate 
C10H18C12  crystallizing  in  colorless  hexagonal  plates  and  melting  at 
500  C;  (2)  176-1780  C,  this  is  present  to  the  extent  of  90  per  cent, 
in  the  oil,  has  the  sp.  gr.  0  899,  has  the  same  formula  and 
molecular  weight  as  limonene,  but  forms  a  tetrabromide  melting  at 
I02-I03°C;  (3)  240-242°C  This  is  composed  principally  of 
sesqui-terpene  C15H24,  has  the  sp.  gr.  0-9847  and  is  optically  inactive 
differing  from  the  other  two  fractions.  Oil  of  lemon  is  dextrogyre 
according  to  age  it  may  vary  from  117  to  1230  using  a  200  mm. 
tube  ;  on  an  average  1200  will  be  found.  Adulterations  with  tur- 
pentine oil  may  be  detected  by  the  polariscope  ;  French  turpentine 
oil  shows  a  rotation  of  —  550;  American  and  Russian  oils  -f- 120  to 
-f  140,  thus  the  presence  of  these  adulterants  will  decrease  the 
rotatory  power  of  the  oil. — V.  Oliveri,  Apoth.  Ztg.,  1891,  341. 
Test  for  acetone. — The  test  depends  upon  the  formation  of  iodo- 
form from  acetone  and  iodine  in  the  presence  of  ammonia  ;  it  is  of 
especial  value  since  alcohol  in  the  presence  of  ammonia  does  not 
form  iodoform.  It  is  carried  out  by  adding  to  a  little  of  the  solution 
to  be  tested  a  few  drops  of  strong  ammonia  water  and  then  1-2 
