128 
Chemical  Notes. 
(  Am.  .lour.  Pharm 
1      March,  1890. 
glucoside  frangulin.  The  bark  of  Rhamnus.  Frangula  is  treated 
with  low  boiling  petroleum  ether  to  remove  fat,  and  then  with  alco- 
hol, which  dissolves  the  glucoside,  resin,  etc.  This  extract  is  treated 
with  lead  acetate  to  precipitate  tannin,  and  the  liquid  is  freed  of  lead 
by  means  of  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  Fourteen  pounds  of  bark 
yielded  5%  gm.  frangulin.  Composition  of  the  glucoside  dried  to 
constant  weight  at  1200  C.  is  C22H22O0.  The  sugar  obtainedfrom 
frangulin  is  not  glucose.  The.  other  decomposition  product,  insol- 
uble and  of  a  yellow  color,  dried  at  1200  C,  has  the  composition 
C15H10Or),  and  is  identical  with  emodin  from  rhubarb. 
A  delicate  test  for  copper. — Dr.  H.  Thorns  [Pharm.  Central Ji., 
1890,  p.  3  2 j  noticed  that  potassium  iodide  was  dissolved  in  a  sam- 
ple of  distilled  water  with  a  yellow  color.  Investigating  the  cause 
thereof,  he  found  it  due  to  traces  of  copper  which  could  not  be 
detected  by  potassium  ferro-cyanide.  This  peculiar  behavior  is  due 
to  the  following:  As  copper  does  not  form  a  cupric  iodide  when  a 
cupric  salt  and  potassium  iodide  are  mixed,  the  copper  is  reduced 
to  the  cuprous  state  and  iodine  is  liberated.  The  latter  could  still 
be  detected  by  means  of  starch  solutions  when  a  solution  of  cupric 
sulphate  1  to  500,000  was  treated  as  above. 
Percentage  of  iodine  in  Fncus  vesicnlosns  and  Chondrns  crispus. 
L.  Van  Itallie  {Arch.  d.  Pharm.,  1889,  1132)  obtained  reactions  for 
iodine  by  means  of  Prof.  F.  A.  Fliickiger's  method  (Archiv,  1887, 
519)  with  10  gm.  ch.  crispus  and  3  gm.  fuc.  vestculosus.  For 
quantitative  estimation,  the  latter  alga  was  treated  as  follows  :  50 
gm.  of  the  powdered  plant  were  macerated  for  eight  days  with  40 
per  cent,  alcohol,  strained  and  washed  with  alcohol  until  colorless. 
The  liquid  was  neutralized  with  sodium  carbonate,  evaporated  to 
syrupy  consistency,  absolute  alcohol  added  and  the  precipitate  washed 
with  alcohol.  The  nitrate  was  evaporated,  residue  dissolved  in  water, 
treated  in  a  separating  funnel  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid  con- 
taining nitrous  acid,  and  the  iodine  taken  up  with  chloroform.  The 
solution  was  washed  a  number  of  times  with  water  to  remove  the 
nitrous  acid  and  the  iodine  titrated  with  T^  sodium  thiosulphate 
solution.    The  author  found  0-01078  per  cent,  iodine. 
.  Chloral  for  Dandruff. — The  Clinical  Reporter. stales  that  a  solution  of 
5  grains  of  chloral  in  an  ounce  of  water  will  clear  the  hair  of  dandruff  and 
prevent  its  falling  out  from  that  cause. 
