Am  jTuiy?i?9oarn1-}   Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  341 
C.  brown,  with  a  quinoline  odor),  the  sulphate  at  i6o°-I70°  C,  and 
the  platinum  double  salt  at  165 0  C.  A  combustion  makes  the  com- 
position C10H15NO3  probable. 
Cinnamon  oils.  Holmes  (Pharm.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  1890,  749) 
compares  the  oils  obtained  from  the  leaves  and  from  the  bark  of 
trunk  and  branches.  The  oil  from  the  leaves  contains :  eugenol,  a 
hydrocarbon  with  a  cymene-like  odor,  little  benzoic  acid  and  a  still 
smaller  quantity  of  cinnamic  aldehyde,  while  the  oil  from  the  bark 
consists  principally  of  cinnamic  aldehyde. 
On  Peucedanin  and  Ostruthiri.  According  to  A.  Jassoy  (Apoth. 
Zeit.,vy  150)  peucedanin  the  bitter  principle  of  Peucedanum  officinale 
has  the  composition  C15H1404,  and  is  the  methyl  ether  of  oreoselon 
CuHn03OH,  a  phenol-like  body.  By  the  action  of  bromine  on 
peucedanin  and  oreoselon  a  monobromoreoselon  is  obtained  ;  nitric 
acid  acting  on  either  gives  mononitrooreoselon  and  styphninic  acid. 
Acid  anhydrides  do  not  act  on  peucedanin,  acid  chlorides  split  off 
methyl  chloride  and  form  acid  ethers.  P.  officinale  contains  another 
bitter  principle,  oxypeucedanin  (Erdmann)  in  smaller  quantity  how- 
ever, Ostruthin  the  bitter  principle  of  Imperatoria  Ostruthium  has 
the  formula  C18H20O3.  It  does  not  contain  a  methoxyl  group  but  a 
phenol-like  hydroxyl.  The  ethers  can  be  made  with  the  acid  anhy- 
drides while  the  chloride  decompose  the  ostruthin.  Peucedanin 
is  not  present  in  the  latter  rhizome  at  any  time. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
By  Frank  X.  Moerk,  Ph.G. 
The  detection  of  stearic  acid  in  wax  may  be  easily  and  certainly 
made  by  boiling  in  a  test  tube  one  gram  of  the  sample  with  10  cc. 
alcohol  of  80  per  cent,  for  a  few  minutes,  allowing  to  cool  to  180- 
200  C,  filtering  into  another  test  tube,  diluting  with  water  and 
agitating  thoroughly  ;  if  as  little  as  1  per  cent,  stearic  acid  was 
present  an  immediate  flocculent  precipitate  will  be  obtained,  which 
collects  on  the  surface  of  the  clear  liquid.  The  test  depends  upon 
the  insolubility  of  wax  constituents  in  80  per  cent,  alcohol,  while 
sufficient  stearic  acid  is  dissolved  to  yield  a  precipitate  upon  dilution. 
—Dr.  H.  Rbttger,  Chemiker  Ztg.,  1890,  606. 
Mercurial  Ointment. — To  secure  a  rapid  extinguishing  of  the 
mercury,  numerous  additions  have  been  recommended  with  more  or 
