^unTi.i™'}  Gleanings  from  the  European  Journals.  265 
Action  of  sulphuric  acid  upon  chloral. — X  Grabowski  observes  that 
chloral  in  contact  with  fuming  sulphuric  acid  is,  after  a  while,  but 
with  strongly  fuming  acid,  instantly  converted  into  a  white  crystal- 
line mass,  of  the  composition  C8H6Cl12OnS2,  which  may  be  obtained 
in  needles  by  crystallizing  from  ether.  Alcohol  dissolves  the  com- 
pound readily,  splitting  it  into  sulphuric  acid  and  chloral  alcoholate. 
Warm  water,  particularly  in  the  presence  of  potassa,  yields  sulphuric 
acid,  chloral  and  decomposition  products. 
The  product  obtained  by  conducting  the  vapors  of  fusing  sulphuric 
acid  into  chloral  has  a  different  composition,  crystallizes  from  alcohoL 
but  decomposes  with  warm  water  and  potassa. — Ibid.,  225. 
The  alkaloids  of  the  Cinchona  barks. — An  important  paper  review- 
ing  the  entire  literature  on  this  subject,  and  containing  the  investiga- 
tions of  the  author,  is  published  by  0.  Hesse,  in  Annalen  der  Chemie 
und  jPharmacie,  clxvi,  217-278.  He  comes  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  existence  of  the  following  cinchona  alkaloids  may  be  considered 
as  having  been  definitely  established :  quinia,  cinchonidia,  cinchonia}. 
paricina,  quinamina,  paytina  and  conchinia.  The  first  three  of  these 
alkaloids  are  met  with  in  commerce  ;  conchinia  (Pasteur's  quinidia)^ 
however,  is  rarely  found  in  commerce,  except  by  its  name  merely- 
Owing  to  the  confusion  existing  in  consequence  of  different  alkaloids 
and  mixtures  of  alkaloids  having  received  this  name,  the  author  ad- 
heres to  the  name  conchinia,  first  proposed  by  him,  although  he  fully 
agrees  with  Howard  that  it  is  closely  related  to  cinchonia,  and  ought 
to  have  been  named  cinchonidia,  while  the  present  cinchonidia,  being 
naturally  related  to  quinia,  ought  to  have  received  the  name  of  qui- 
nidia.  Quinamina,  paytina  and  conchinia  appear  to  form  a  group* 
and  to  pass  into  each  other  under  the  influence  of  cellular  vitality. 
Paricina  is  distinct  from  bebeerina,  the  former  being  readily  soluble 
in  petroleum  ether,  and  fusing  at  116°  C,  while  bebeerina  is  nearly 
insoluble  in  that  menstruum,  and  fuses  at  about  200°  C. 
The  author  has  never  met  with  aricina,  discovered  in  1829  by  Pel- 
letier  and  Coriol  and  by  Leverkohn,  and  which  was  by  Bouchardat 
and  Winckler,  in  1839,  declared  to  be  identical  with  cusconina  and 
with  Manzini's  cinchovatina.  Delondre,  however,  and  Howard  have 
found  in  the  bark  examined  by  the  former  chemists,  merely  quinia 
and  cinchonia;  and  Kerner  observed  a  commercial  aricina  to  be  cin- 
chonidia and  his  quinidia. 
