AmNo°vU"'iSiarm-}     Root  Bark  of  Cclastrns  Scandens.  523 
There  are  a  few  other  color  reactions  for  vanillin  which  I  find 
mentioned  in  "Die  Farben-reactionen  der  Kohlenstoff-verbindungen," 
by  Dr.  Emil  Nickel,  but  which  I  did  not  have  an  opportunity  to 
compare  with  the  above  : 
(1)  Millon's  reagent  (a  solution  containing  both  mercurous  and 
mercuric  nitrates  with  some  free  nitrous  acid)  gives  a  reddish  violet 
color. 
(2)  Mercuric  chloride  solution  containing  some  potassium  nitrite 
on  boiling  gives  a  fine  violet  color. 
(3)  Zinc  sulphate  and  potassium  nitrite  in  solution  give  a  yellow 
coloration. 
(4)  Phloroglucin  and  hydrochloric  acid  produce  a  red  color. 
(5)  Aniline  sulphate  produces  a  yellow  color  (not  very  delicate). 
(6)  Pyrrol  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid  (1:4)  produces  a  cherry  red 
color. 
(7)  Indol  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid  (1  :  4)  produces  a  cherry  red 
color. 
(8)  Carbazol  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid  (1:1)  produces  a  blue  or 
bluish  violet  color. 
(9)  Frbhde's  reagent  (molybdate  of  sodium  dissolved  in  concen- 
trated sulphuric  acid)  produces  a  blue  or  green  color. 
THE  ROOT  BARK  OF  CELASTRUS  SCANDENS. 
By  Jacob  Hoch,  Ph.G. 
From  an  Inaugural  Essay  presented  to  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 
The  root  bark  was  collected  by  the  author  in  Montgomery 
County,  Pennsylvania,  and  on  drying  at  100°  C,  lost  12-2  per  cent, 
of  moisture.  A  distillate  was  prepared  from  the  bark  by  cohobation, 
and  on  examination,  showed  the  absence  of  volatile  constituents. 
The  powdered  bark,  treated  with  petroleum-benzin,  yielded  5-5 
per  cent,  of  an  orange-red,  stiff,  elastic  mass.  Water  has  no  effect 
upon  it,  but  alcohol  dissolves  from  it  a  deep  orange-red  brittle  sub- 
stance which  is  inodorous,  has  (in  alcoholic  solution)  an  acid  reac- 
tion, is  soluble  in  ether,  and  yields  with  alkalies  deep-brown  solu- 
tions. The  body  insoluble  in  alcohol  is  nearly  colorless,  elastic  and 
soluble  in  benzin  and  chloroform. 
The  bark  exhausted  by  benzin,  yielded  to  ether  a  hard  resinous 
body,  soluble  in  alcohol  and  in  strong  alkalies  with  a  brown  color- 
Treatment  with  alcohol  resulted  in  a  tincture,  which  on  evapora- 
