308  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals,  {^'^jaiy^i' 
Pharm.. 
1871. 
Sulphate  of  iron  always  gives  more  or  less  trouble  in  the  formatiorA 
of  pill  masses  with  the  usual  excipients.  In  many  cases  a  little  gly- 
cerin will  probably  be  found  superior  to  any  other,  as  is  the  case  witli 
the  following  prescription,  which  will  give  a  crumby,  unsatisfactory- 
mass  w^ith  syrup,  honey  nnd  mucilage,  but  is  unobjectionable  wheo 
glycerin  is  employed  : 
R.  Ext.  nucis  vom.,  gr.  X  ;  Ferri  sulphat.,  gr.  xx  ;  Quini^  sul- 
phat.,  9ij  ;  Glycerin,  gtt.  v — vi.    M.  ft.  pilul.,  No.  20. 
It  is  remarkable  what  a  large  amount  of  the  other  excipients  the- 
above  mixture  will  take  up,  while  five  or  six  drops  of  glycerin  will  have- 
a  by  far  better  result. 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  GERMAN  JOURNALS. 
By  J.  M.  Maisch. 
Gurciimin  has  been  obtained  by  F.  W.  Daube  in  deep  yellow  crys^- 
tals,  of  a  pearly  to  diamond- like  lustre.  Turmeric  is  completely 
exhausted  with  hot  water  and,  after  drying,  treated  with  boiling  beiv- 
zole,  which,  on  cooling,  separates  crude  curcumin.  This  is  dissolved 
in  cold  alcohol,  the  filtrate  precipitated  by  acetate  of  lead,  and  the 
liberated  acetic  acid  almost  neutralized  by  subacetate  of  lead ;  the- 
precipitate  is  decomposed  under  water  by  a  current  of  sulphuretted 
hydrogen,  the  sulphide  of  lead  exhausted  with  boiling  alcohol,  and  the- 
alcoholic  solution  slowly  evaporated.  Curcumin  is  readil}^  soluble  \\\ 
alcohol  and  ether,  but  requires  2600  parts  of  benzole  for  solution,, 
which  menstruum  does  not  dissolve  the  resins,  from  wliich  curcumin?, 
is  otherwise  difficult  to  liberate. — Zeitschr.  f.  Chem.  Jan.  21,  1871^. 
from  Ber.  d.  d.  Chem.  aeselhch.  Berlin,  1870,  609. 
Opiiini  Wax. — The  glaucous  coating  of  the  ripening  poppy  capsule- 
is  wax,  which,  being  scraped  off  with  the  hardening  milk  juice,  is  like- 
wise a  constituent  of  opium.  0.  Hesse  has  prepared  it  from  the 
residue  left  on  exhausting  opium  with  water.  The  mass  was  first 
treated  with  some  hydrate  of  lime,  and  then  exhausted  with  boiling 
alcohol.  The  white  crystals,  after  having  been  recrystallized,  are- 
treated  with  boiling  chloroform,  which  leaves  colorless  crystals  prob- 
ably related  to  lactucerin  and  hyoscerin.    From  the  chloroform  solu- 
