GLEANINGS  FROM  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
393 
ashes.  The  mucilage  prepared  by  digesting  the  Irish  Moss  in 
the  steam  bath  for  a  day,  precipitating  the  decoction  with 
alcohol  and  purifiying  the  precipitate  twice  from  its  aqueous 
solution  with  alcohol,  was  a  horn-like  mass  of  a  light  brownish 
tint,  difficult  to  powder,  and  contained  -88  per  cent,  of  nitrogen 
and  yielded  15-9  per  cent,  ashes,  containing  notable  quantities 
of  sulphates.  The  mucilage  readily  swells  in  water  and  dissolves 
to  a  nearly  clear  liquid  without  action  on  litmus  ;  the  solution 
is  not  precipitated  by  ferric  chloride  or  silicate  of  soda,  but  sugar 
of  lead  causes  a  precipitate,  the  filtrate  from  which  is  not  ren- 
dered turbid  by  alcohol.  It  is  not  dissolved  by  cuprammonia, 
and  moistened  with  sulphuric  acid  not  colored  blue  by  iodine. 
Boiled  with  nitric  acid,  it  yields  mucic  acid.  It  differs,  there- 
fore, essentially  from  cellulose,  starch  and  gum,  but  is  a  true 
mucilage,  nearest  related  perhaps  to  the  mucilage  of  marshmallow 
root. 
The  agar-agar  or  tjentjan  of  the  Chinese  and  Japanese,  is  the 
very  pure  mucilage  of  Sphserococeus  tenax,  Agardh,  and  behaves 
in  some  respects  like  the  former. — (Ibid.,  85-88.) 
Spiritus  ^Etheris  Chlorati. — Ed.  Schser  recommends  the  follow- 
ing process  :  1J  parts  powdered  bichromate  of  potassa  is  mixed 
with  8  parts  common  muriatic  acid  sp.  gr.  1*17,  and  introduced 
into  a  retort ;  32  parts  of  alcohol,  sp.  gr.  837  to  840,  are  added, 
with  the  precaution  to  prevent  its  becoming  mixed  with  the  acid, 
in  order  to  avoid  the  formation  of  aldehyde  and  other  products 
of  oxidation.  A  uniform  heat  is  applied  by  means  of  a  sand-  or 
water-bath,  and  28  parts  are  obtained  by  distillation,  which,  if 
necessary,  are  rectified  over  calcined  magnesia. — (Ibid.,  94.) 
Euphorbon. — This  name  is  given  by  Dr.  Fliickiger  to  a  con- 
stituent of  euphorbium,  which  is  related  to  lactucon.  It  is 
soluble  in  ether,  benzin,  amylic  alcohol,  chloroform,  acetone  and 
glacial  acetic  acid.  From  the  solution  in  the  first  two  solvents 
it  effloresces,  on  spontaneous  evaporation,  in  feathery  needles, 
from  the  chloroformic  solution  containing  alcohol  in  short  prisms 
showing  double  refraction  under  the  polariscope.  It  is 
readily  soluble  in  boiling  alcohol,  fusible  above  106°C  (223°F.), 
indifferent  to  litmus  and  unaffected  by  most  acids  and  alkalies. 
