584  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  {Am'Nov!;'Sarm' 
be  C18H3202,  and  not  C16H2802.  By  treatment  with  fuming  hydriodic 
acid  a  compound  of  the  formula  C18H3502I  was  obtained,  which  by 
reduction  with  zinc  and  hydrochloric  acid  and  subsequent  purifica- 
tion was  found  to  yield  stearic  acid  C18H3602. — A.  Reformatzky 
{Journ.f.prakt.  Chem.)  Rpt.  der  Pharm.,  1890,  214. 
Solubility  of  ether  in  sulphuric  acid. — A  German  patent  has  been 
granted  the  firm  J.  D.  Riedel  for  the  purification  of  ethyl  bromide  in 
which  the  ether  present  in  the  crude  ethyl  bromide  is  removed  by 
treatment  with  sulphuric  acid.  The  behavior  of  ether  towards  sul- 
phuric acid  is  variously  stated  in  works  on  chemistry,  so  the  follow- 
ing results  of  investigations  are  interesting  :  Ether  dissolves  easily 
in  sulphuric  acid  with  production  of  considerable  heat.  No  chemi- 
cal combination  takes  place  even  after  prolonged  standing,  the  ether 
being  separable  again  by  addition  of  water.  Prolonged  heating  (for 
30  hours)  at  100°  C.  results  in  the  formation  of  large  quantities  of 
ethyl  sulphuric  acid,  C2H5HS04,  with  smaller  quantities  of  diethyl 
sulphate  (C2H5)2S04 ;  stronger  heating  brings  about  decomposition 
into  SOo.  C2H4  and  H20. — Dr.  L.  Scholvien,  Apoth.  Ztg.,  1890,  607. 
Fhenylur  ethane  or  Euphorine,  as  it  has  been  called  lately,  has  the 
OC  H 
formula  CO<-^j_^£5^  y  is  a  white  crystalline  powder  of  a  faintly 
aromatic  odor  and  gradually  developing  taste,  resembling  cloves;  it 
is  difficultly  soluble  in  water,  easily  soluble  in  alcohol  and  sufficiently 
soluble  in  wines  to  be  administered  in  such  solutions. — Pharm.  Cen- 
tralhalle,  1890,  616. 
Morphine  estimation. — The  Helfenberger  morphiometric  assay  of 
opium  (adopted  in  the  new  German  Pharmacopoeia)  .has  been  so 
modified  that  an  assay  can  be  made  in  less  than  three  hours  without 
decrease  of  accuracy ;  the  differences  in  morphine-yield  are  generally 
less  than  0-3  per  cent.  Six  grams  of  finely-powdered  opium  are 
triturated  with  six  grams  water,  diluted  with  more  water,  the  mix- 
ture rinsed  into  a  tared  flask  and  water  added  to  make  54  grams. 
After  frequent  agitation  during  fifteen  minutes  it  is  filtered 
through  a  plaited  filter  of  10  cm.  diameter  ;  42  grams  filtrate  are 
mixed  with  2  grams  of  a  mixture  (made  by  adding  83  grams  water 
to  17  grams  ammonia  solution)  by  a  rotatory  motion  (not  by  agita- 
tion), and  filtered  at  once  through  a  plaited  filter  of  10  cm.  diameter. 
To  36  grams  of  this  filtrate  in  a  tared  flask  are  added  10  grams 
acetic  ether,  mixed  by  a  rotatory  motion,  4  grams  of  the  above 
