Am' juiy!'i89oarm' }  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  343 
ous  ;  it  does  not  irritate  wounds;  in  y2  per  cent. solution  it  produces 
on  mucous  membranes  slight  burning,  which  quickly  disappears, 
in  0-3  per  cent,  solution  it  will  answer  as  a  surgical  antiseptic,  and 
in  3  per  cent,  solution  has  the  properties  of  a  soap,  and  is  used  as  a 
disinfectant  for  the  hands. — Pharm.  Post,  1 890,  426. 
Acetanilide. — The  melting  point  of  this  important  chemical  is 
given  in  such  a  wide  range  (112-1230)  that  considerable  variability 
of  the  commercial  product  is  indicated.  Knowing  the  almost  con- 
stant presence  of  toluidine  in  aniline,  and  remembering  that  the 
former  responds  to  the  reagents  used  in  making  acetanilide  as  easily 
as  does  aniline,  the  variations  in  the  melting  point  of  acetanilide 
may  be  caused  by  the  presence  of  acettoluides,  which  have  the  fol- 
lowing melting  points  :  Ortlio,  ioy°  ;  7neta,6$'$°,  and  para,  1470  C. 
A  very  important  reaction,  which  enables  one  to  detect  acettoluide 
in  acetanilide,  is  in  the  use  of  a  boiling  solution  of  potassium  perman- 
ganate ;  acetanilide,  if  pure,  is  not  altered,  and  does  not  reduce  the 
permanganate,  while  acettoluide  is  oxidized  to  acetamido  benzoic  acid 
with  reduction  of  the  permanganate;  of  a  number  of  samples  of  ace- 
tanilide examined,  only  one  showed  a  slight  reduction,  all  the  others 
a  decided  reduction.  A  sample  of  commercial  acetanilide  (m.  p. 
112°  C  )  after  boiling  with  permanganate  until  a  permanent  red  color 
was  obtained,  filtering,  allowing  to  cool,  and  repeatedly  re-crystal- 
lizing gave  a  product  melting  at  1140  C;  no  matter  how  often 
recrystallized.  the  crystals  melted  at  1140  C.  if  the  preparation  was 
first  completely  dried  at  105 0  C.  The  acetamido  benzoic  acid  was 
obtainable  from  the  filtrate  of  the  first  acetanilide  crystallization  by 
concentrating  and  adding  hydrochloric  acid.  In  addition  to  the 
tests  for  acetanilide  given  in  Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  1889,  506,  there 
may  be  required  a  melting  point  at  1140  C.  (after  two  hours'  drying 
at  1050  C);  only  a  slight  reduction  of  permanganate  (1  gm.  acetani- 
lide dissolved  in  30  gm.  boiling  water  should,  after  adding  one  drop 
of  a  O  1  per  cent,  permanganate  solution,  retain  a  red  color  for  at 
least  five  minutes,  and,  upon  further  boiling,  should  not  produce  a 
yellow  color  or  precipitate) ;  and  ignition  upon  platinum  without 
leaving  a  residue. — E.  Ritsert,  Pharm.  Ztg.,  1890,  306. 
Solubility  of  santonin  in  castor  oil. — L.  Reuter  having  occasion  to 
dispense  a  prescription  containing  santonin  and  castor  oil  found  that 
castor  oil  warmed  on  a  water-bath  would  dissolve  4  per  cent,  of  its 
weight  of  santonin  of  which  the  greater  part  crystallized  out  again 
