AmMa°rch,:i8.6rm'}       Gleanings  from  Foreign  Journals.  127 
color,  and  is  granular;  in  closed  vessels  it  separates  into  two  layers, 
the  lower  one  being  resinous  and  opaque,  and  the  upper  one  liquid  and 
transparent ;  it  has  a  penetrating  peculiar  odor,  and  a  bitter  and  acrid 
taste,  is  soluble  in  alcohol  and  ether,  and  solidifies  with  magnesia. 
The  commercial  article  usually  contains  fragments  of  bark  and  other 
foreign  substances.  It  yields  a  volatile  oil,  commonly  called  "aguar- 
ras."  It  is  used  like  other  turpentines  as  a  balsamic  stimulant  in 
doses  of  0*50  to  4*8  or  15  gin.;  the  volatile  oil  in  doses  of  10  to  20 
drops. 
Tripa  de  Judas,  Cissus  tiliacea,  Kunth;  Vitaceae;  in  the  Mexican 
valley,  Morelos,  &c.  The  decoction  and  the  tincture  of  the  stem  have 
considerable  reputation  for  the  cure  of  rheumatism. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  FOREIGN  JOURNALS. 
By  Geo.  H.  Ochse,  Ph.G. 
Valuation  of  Ipecacuanha. — Prof.  Fliickiger  exhausts  from  10  to 
2<J  grams  of  very  finely  powdered  ipecacuanha  with  boiling  chloro- 
form, to  which  1  cc.  of  aqua  ammonise,  sp.  gr.  0  920  has  been  added 
until  no  turbidity  is  produced  on  dropping  a  few  drops  of  the 
chloroformic  solution  into  acidulated  water  and  treating  with  potassio- 
mercuric  iodide.  1  he  chloroform  is  then  distilled  off  and  the  emetine, 
which  is  almost  pure,  is  dried  at  100°  C.  and  weighed.  Owing  to 
the  absence  of  a  good  crystalline  salt  of  emetine,  Fliickiger  prefers  to 
weigh  it  instead  of  determining  with  Mayer's  reagent.  By  dissolving 
the  emetine  in  dilute  acids  and  precipitating  with  ammonia  or  mag- 
nesia a  purer  article  is  obtainable,  but  he  considers  this  unnecessary. 
Ipecacuanha  contains  on  an  average  not  much  more  than  1  per  cent, 
of  emetine.  The  seeds  of  Psychotria  Ipecacuanha  have  not  the  remotest 
bitter  taste  and  consequently  contain  no  emetine. — Pharm.  Post,  1886, 
xix,  p.  55. 
Properties  of  pure  zinc. — L'Hote  obtained  pure  zinc  by  distilling  a 
mixture  of  pure  precipitated  oxide  of  zinc  and  lampblack.  Pure 
zinc  does  not  generate  hydrogen  when  boiled  with  water,  nor  is  it 
affected  by  dilute  sulphuric  acid.  When  pure  zinc  is  melted  and 
stirred  with  an  irod-rod,  the  small  quantity  of  iron  which  adheres  to 
the  zinc,  generates  .hydrogen  when  boiled  with  water  and  is  affected 
by  dilute  sulphuric  acid.  Arsenic  and  antimony  affect  it  similarly. 
All  varieties  of  commercial  zinc  decompose  water  on  boiling.— 
Chemiker  Zeitung,  1886,  x,  p.  2. 
