AmbJe°cUri8P9farm'}   Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  595 
Sulphate  of  sparteine  and  iodide  of  sodium. — In  endeavoring 
to  make  a  solution  of  2  gm.  of  the  latter  and  20  centigrams  of  the 
former  in  120  cc.  of  water,  L.  Julliard  {Union  Pharmaceut.)  found  that 
if  the  salts  are  mixed  and  then  the  water  added,  a  clear  mixture  at 
first  results,  which,  however,  is  quickly  blackened  by  the  formation 
of  a  precipitate,  which  takes  some  time  to  settle.  If  solutions  of 
each  are  made  and  then  mixed,  the  liquid  remains  clear  only  a  short 
time,  gradually  becomes  cloudy  and  of  a  dirty  yellow,  and  after  a 
few  hours  a  black  colored  precipitate  collects  on  the  bottom  of  the 
vessel.  This  dark  precipitate  is  not  iodine,  but  very  probably  iodo- 
sulphate  of  sparteine.  The  iodide  used  was  alkaline,  while  the 
alkaloidal  salt  was  acid  in  reaction. 
Linamarin. — A.  Jorissen  and  E.  Hairs  [Acad.  roy.  de  Belgique  (3) 
21(1891),  529)  have  isolated  a  glucoside,  linamarin,  from  the  germs 
of  Linum  usitatissimnm.  The  germs,  coarsely  powdered,  were 
treated  repeatedly  with  boiling  94  per  cent,  alcohol,  the  latter 
recovered  and  the  residue  taken  up  with  warm  water.  The  resin 
and  fat  are  separated  and  the  aqueous  solution  treated  with  a  slight 
excess  of  lead  acetate.  After  filtration  and  precipitating  the  lead 
with  H2S  the  liquid  is  evaporated  to  a  syrupy  consistency.  This  residue 
is  extracted  with  boiling  alcohol,  the  solvent  recovered  for  the  greatest 
part,  and  the  remaining  liquid  mixed  with  ten  times  its  volume  of 
ether  under  constant  agitation.  The  residue  remaining  on  distilling 
off  the  ether  is  taken  up  with  water  and  this  solution  concentrated. 
Standing  over  sulphuric  acid  for  some  time  the  concentrated  solution 
is  converted  into  a  crystalline  mass  of  linamarin.  For  purification  it  is 
again  treated  with  ether  and  alcohol  as  above.  Lastly,  the  principle 
is  dissolved  in  two  parts  of  warm  absolute  alcohol,  and  the  solution 
cooled  under  agitation.  The  germs  yield  about  1-5  per  cent,  of  the 
glucoside,  which  forms  colorless  needles  possessing  a  refreshing  but 
very  bitter  taste,  is  soluble  in  water  and  alcohol,  but  almost  insoluble 
in  ether.  Concentrated  sulphuric  acid  does  not  color  it ;  dilute 
mineral  acids  decompose  the  glucoside  into  hydrocyanic  acid,  a 
fermentable  sugar  reducing  Fehling's  test,  and  a  volatile  compound 
possessing  some  characters  of  ketones,  and  giving  with  iodine  and 
potassium  hydrate  the  iodoform  reaction.  Boiling  barium  hydrate 
liberates  ammonia.  Linamarin  contains  C  47-88  per  cent.,  H  6-68 
per  cent.,  N  5-55  per  cent.,  O  39*89  per  cent. 
