AmAprnT  Ss6arm'}       Gleanings  from  Foreign  Journals.  167 
cyanide  of  potassium,  2  parts  concentrated  aqua  amnionise,  2  parts 
tartaric  acid  and  240  parts  of  water  are  mixed,  the  solution  filtered 
and  160  parts  ammonio-citrate  of  iron,  40  parts  aqua  ammonise,  8 
parts  aniline-blue  and  70  parts  of  gum  arabic  are  added.  Black  ink 
is  made  by  adding  20  parts  of  pyrogallic  acid  to  the  above.  These 
inks  being  non-corrosive,  can  be  used  with  an  ordinary  pen. — Phar. 
Centralhalle,  xxvii,  p.  74. 
Artificial  Vanillin  is  prepared  in  Milan  from  olivil  (the  resin  ob- 
tained from  the  olive  tree)  by  treating  an  alkaline  solution  of  the  resin 
with  potassium  permanganate.  When  the  reaction  ceases,  an  excess  of 
sulphuric  acid  is  added.  The  vanillin  thus  formed  is  extracted  by 
steam  or  by  shaking  with  etheiv — Phar.  Centralhalle,  xxvii,  p.  74. 
Hopeine. — Hopeine  an  alkaloid  (?)  discovered  by  Williamson  in 
uncultivated  American  hops,  and  recommended  by  him  as  a  substitute 
for  morphine  and  quinine,  has  been  manufactured  by  the  Concentrated 
Produce  Co.  (limited),  and  Christy,  both  of  London.  The  product 
sent  out  by  the  former  has  been  examined  by  Petit,  Ladenburg  and 
Muller  and  found  to  be  an  aromatised  morphine.  Bardet  states  that 
the  crystalline  forms  of  hopeine  and  morphine  are  identical.  Hopeine 
gives  the  same  reactions  as  morphine  when  treated  with  tannin,  picric 
acid  and  mercuric  chloride.  The  hop  odor  is  not  characteristic  of  the 
alkaloid;  when  an  acid  solution  is  precipitated  with  ammonia  the 
precipitate  is  destitute  of  odor.  Gebe  &  Co.  were  unable  to  discover 
any  hopeine  in  German  hops. — Pharmaceutische  Post,  xix,  p.  138. 
Germanium  a  new  element. — Clemens  Winkler  discovered  in  argy- 
rodite — a  silver  ore — a  new  element  resembling  arsenic  in  color  and 
lustre,  yet  less  volatile  than  antimony;  when  sublimed,  it  yields  cry- 
stals totally  different  from  antimony.  Pure  germanium  sulphide  is 
a  snow-white  mass,  soluble  in  ammonia.  Germanium  chloride  is 
more  volatile  than  antimony  chloride,  and  yields  a  white  precipitate 
with  sulphuretted  hydrogen  in  acidified  solution. — Pharmaceutische 
Post,  xix,  p.  140. 
Pulverization  of  Boracic  Acid  is  readily  accomplished  by  agitating 
a  hot  saturated  solution  with  an  egg-beater  until  cold.  When  the 
solution  is  cold  small  microscopic  crystals  will  be  found  at  the  bottom 
of  the  vessel ;  these  are  pressed  between  folds  of  filtering-paper,  and 
while  yet  damp  triturated  in  a  mortar. — I]  Union  Pharmaceutique, 
xxvii,  p.  53. 
