A\tTiwT'}   Gleanings  from  the  European  Journals.  353  - 
rate,  it  does  not  deserve  its  name.  See  also  Am.  Journ.  Pharmacy, 
1872,  396. 
The  test  for  balsam  of  Peru  with  solution  of  table  salt  (Am.  Journ, 
Pharmacy,  1872,  106)  appears  to  Werner  to  be  unreliable,  since  ar- 
tificial products  may  be  prepared  having  a  higher  specific  gravity  than 
that  solution.  He  recommends  the  test  of  the  German  .Pharmaco- 
poeia as  perfectly  reliable ;  the  balsam  is  triturated  in  a  mortar  with 
an  equal  part  of  sulphuric  acid,  and  the  mass  afterwards  repeatedly 
washed  with  water.  Pure  balsam  leaves  a  hard  residue,  which  breaks 
readily,  while  the  product  from  adulterated  balsam  is  either  tough,  or 
soft  like  an  ointment.  The  operation  requires  about  five  minutes. 
Ibid.,  295. 
Vegetable  glue. — This  name  is  applied  to  a  mucilage  of  gum  arabic, 
the  adhesive  properties  of  which  have  been  considerably  increased  by 
adding  to  250  grams  (made  of  2  parts  of  gum  to  5  of  water)  2  grams 
of  crystallized  sulphate  of  aluminum,  previously  dissolved  in  20  grams 
of  water.  Alum  has  a  similar  effect,  but  in  a  less  satisfactory  degree. 
—Pharm.  Cent.  Halle,  1873,  No.  24. 
Impure  chlorate  of  potassium  has  been  met  with  by  Dr.  Godeffroy. 
The  salt  was  pulverulent,  and  sold  at  a  higher  price  than  the  pure 
crystallized.  By  fusing  and  igniting  12  troyounces  of  it  a  blackish 
mass  was  obtained,  which,  when  treated  with  water,  left  a  residue 
weighing  90  grains,  and  consisting  of  manganium  with  traces  of  iron  ; 
this  corresponds  to  2  per  cent,  of  binoxide  of  manganese. — Zeit.  d. 
Oesterr.  Apoth.  Ver.,  1873,  No.  17. 
Precipitation  of  magnesium.— -Prof.  Mohr  has  proven  experimentally 
that  the  precipitation  of  magnesium  from  an  ammoniacal  solution  is 
best  effected  by  ammonio-phosphate  of  sodium  (microcosmic  salt), 
which  produces  at  once  the  insoluble  crystalline  precipitate,  while 
phosphate  of  sodium  separates  at  first  gelatinous  phosphate  of  mag- 
nesium, which  is  only  gradually  converted  into  the  crystalline  am- 
monio-phosphate of  magnesium. — -Zeitschr.  f.  Analyt.  Ohem.,  1873, 
36-39. 
The  bark  of  Azadirachta  Indica  or  nim  tree  has  been  analyzed  by 
J.  Broughton,  who  separated  from  it  a  resin-like  principle  of  the 
composition  C3GH50Ou.    It  is  obtained  by  exhausting  the  bark  with 
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