610  Gleanings  from  Foreign  Journals.  {Amvecr;im*Tm 
Commercial  bicarbonate  of  sodium  contains  hyposulphite  of  sodium 
as  an  impurity.  One  sample  examined  by  Dr.  Mylius  contained 
several  milligrams  of  arsenic  in  200  grams  of  NaHC03. — Pharma- 
ceutische  Centralhalle,  xxvii,  p.  515. 
Alkaloid  in  old  flour. — Old  flour  when  treated  with  ether  and  the 
ethereal  solution  evaporated  on  a  water-bath,  yields  a  fatty,  acid 
substance  having  the  disagreeable,  penetrating  odor  of  old  flour  and 
a  burning  taste  when  placed  on  the  tongue.  A  small  quantity  mixed 
with  water  and  heated  on  a  water-bath  shows  the  reactions  quite  dis- 
tinctly when  treated  with  the  ordinary  reagents  for  alkaloids 
(potassio-mercuric  iodide,  ferric  chloride,  etc.). — Rundschau,  [Prag), 
xii.  p.  730. 
Chartreuse  liquor. — To  prepare  this  liquor  none  but  spirit  free  from 
fusel  oil  should  be  used.  Angelica  seed  125  grams,  angelica  root, 
30  grams,  arnica  flowers  15  grams,  coriander  250  grams,  hyssop 
125  grams,  melissa  500  grams,  wormwood  125  grams,  cardamom 
15  grams,  Ceylon  cinnamon  15  grams,  mace  20  grams,  and  cloves  15 
grams,  are  digested  for  24  hours  in  36  liters  of  95  per  cent,  alcohol 
and  20  liters  of  water  and  then  distilled.  To  the  distillate  are 
added  25  kilograms  of  sugar  previously  boiled  with  water,  2  liters 
of  finest  cognac,  25  grams  of  citric  acid  previously  dissolved  in  water 
and  sufficient  water  to  make  100  liters.  Chartreuse  is  colored  golden 
vellow  with  tincture  of  saffron  and  should  be  two  years  old  before 
using. — Rundschau,  xii. 
Allyl  tribromide. — Tribromide  of  allyl  is  a  new  substance  ob- 
tained by  Wurtz  by  treating  one  part  of  allyl  iodide  with  two  and 
a  half  parts  of  bromine.  Allyl  tribromide  is  a  colorless  liquid, 
soluble  in  ether  of  the  density  2*436  and  has  the  boiling  point  217°  C. 
Arniand  de  Fleury  has  used  it  in  hysteria,  asthma,  croup,  etc.,  with 
success.  Dose :  for  hypodermic  injection  2  to  4  drops  in  1  or  2  cc. 
of  ether,  or  5  drops  in  a  capsule  twice  or  four  times  daily. — Rund- 
schau, Prag.  xii,  p.  731. 
Roach  poison. — Soxhlet  recommends  a  mixture  of  1  kilogram  of 
angelica  root  and  20  grams  of  oil  of  eucalyptus  as  a  sure  vermin 
destroyer.  The  powder  is  strewn  around  the  infested  places  in  the 
evening,  and  in  the  morning  the  dead  vermin  can  be  swept  up. — 
Ibid.,  xii,  p.  740. 
Vinum  condurango. — Friedrich,  Hoffmann,  Wilhelmy  and  others 
praise  condurango  in  affections  of  the  stomach;  in  cancer  of  the 
