SgS  Gleanings  front  the  German  Journals.  {AmBecU,ri89iharm' 
on  Fehling's  test  except  on  inversion  with  an  acid.  Helixin  is  soluble 
in  water  and  alcohol,  insoluble  in  ether,  chloroform  and  benzene.  The 
color  reactions  are  as  follows :  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  a  bril- 
liant red  ;  concentrated  hydrochloric  acid,  yellow  ;  ammonia,  yel- 
low ;  pyridine,  olive  green  precipitate  ;  iron  salts,  green  ;  sulphocya- 
nide  of  potassium,  rose  disappearing  quickly;  bichromate  of  potassium 
and  sulphuric  acid,  red  then  green  ;  caustic  soda,  green.  The  aqueous 
solution  of  the  glucoside  foams  just  like  solutions  of  saponin. 
Mixture  for  Asthma. — Huchard  (Rev.  gen.  de  Clin,  et  de 
Therapy  1891,  No.  26)  prescribes  the  following  mixture  in  cases  of 
asthma  :  Iodide  of  potassium,  Tine,  lobeliae,  Tinct.  polygalae, 
(senega)  aa  10  gm.  Extr.  opium  o-i,  Distilled  water  900  gm. 
Dose,  one  teaspoonful  morning  and  night  with      glass  of  water. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
By  Frank  X.  Moerk,  Ph.G. 
Water  of  ammoTiia  will  absorb  carbon  dioxide  from  the  air,  but 
in  doing  so  there  is  very  little  carbonate  of  ammonium  formed,  the 
greater  portion  going  to  form  carbamate  of  ammonium.  J.  Hert- 
korn,  in  calling  attention  to  this,  states  the  requirement  that  water 
of  ammonia  should  not  become  immediately  turbid  when  mixed 
with  lime  water,  is  not  sufficiently  exacting  as  indicating  absorption 
or  presence  of  carbon  dioxide  ;  the  test  should  require  that  the 
mixture  of  water  of  ammonia  and  lime  water  should  not  show  more 
than  a  faint  turbidity  after  boiling,  this  procedure  changing  the  car- 
bamate into  carbonate.  Attention  is  also  called  to  this  presence  of 
carbamate  as  a  source  of  error  in  quantitative  analysis;  if  carbon 
dioxide  be  absorbed  in  such  a  water  of  ammonia  and  then  precipi- 
tated at  a  boiling  temperature  as  calcium  or  barium  carbonate  by 
the  addition  of  a  barium  or  calcium  salt,  the  results  will  of  course  # 
be  too  high. —  Chemiker  Ztg.,  1891,  1493. 
Examination  of  spices. — At  the  recent  meeting  of  food-chemists 
and  microscopists  in  Vienna,  the  following  maximum  and  minimum 
figures  for  the  examination  of  spices  were  proposed  :  Allspice,  not 
more  than  six  per  cent,  ash,  of  which  not  more  than  0-5  per  cent, 
should  be  insoluble  in  hydrochloric  acid;  cinnamon  should  not  yield 
more  than  5  per  cent,  ash,  not  more  than  1  per  cent,  insoluble  in 
hydrochloric  acid  ;  should  yield  not  less  than  1  per  cent,  volatile 
oil ;  cloves  not  more  than  7  per  cent,  ash,  not  more  than  1  per  cent. 
