302  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  {^'J™'^™' 
■carefully,  while  cacao  oil  solidifies  at  the  bottom  in  hemispheres  ;  wax 
and  paraffin  also  solidify  less  regularly.  Fats  soluble  in  strong  alcohol 
are  dropped  into  diluted  alcohol.  Resins  are  not  melted,  but  merely 
broken  into  small  fragments.  A  liquid  is  then  prepared,  either  alcohol, 
diluted  alcohol,  water,  glycerin  or  diluted  glycerin  being  used,  in  which 
the  solidified  drops  of  fat  or  paraffin,  or  the  fragments  of  resin  float, 
and  its  specific  gravity  is  determined. — Pharm.  Centralh.,  March  27, 
1879,  P.  !32- 
Is  White  Wax  a  Rancid  Fat?— In  opposition  to  the  assertion  that 
white  wax  is  always  rancid,  K.  Lauteschlaeger  states  that  neither 
recently  bleached  nor  old  white  wax  has  undergone  considerable  change 
in  odor,  color,  taste  or  consistence,  that  it  yields  no  ozone  reaction,  nor 
possesses  any  of  the  characteristic  properties  of  rancid  fats,  and,  there- 
fore, ought  neither  to  be  classed  with  them  nor  to  be  discarded  in  favor 
of  yellow  wax,  since  it  possesses  the  decided  advantage  of  presenting 
a  more  elegant  appearance. — Pharm.  Ztg.,  April  9,  1879,  p.  220. 
Adulteration  of  Bees-wax  with  Ceresin. —  Buchner  boils  in  a 
test-tube  the  wax,  for  a  few  minutes,  with  concentrated  alcoholic 
potassa-lye  (1  part  potassium  hydrate  to  three  parts  90  per  cent,  alcohol), 
■and  allows  the  tube  to  remain  for  some  time  in  a  water-bath  to  prevent 
the  contents  from  hardening.  If  the  wax  is  pure,  the  solution  remains 
clear ;  if  it  contains  ceresin,  this  will  float  as  an  oily  layer  on  the 
potassa  solution,  which  is  usually  then  very  dark  colored.  The  ceresin 
may  be  recognized  even  after  congealing,  it  being  much  lighter  colored 
than  the  saponified  mass. — Ztsch.  d.  Allg.  Oest.  Ap.  Ver.,  April  1,  1879, 
p.  154,  from  Ding.  Poly  tech.  Jour. 
Adulteration  of  Sesame  Oil  with  cheaper  oils  can  be  detected  as 
follows  :  Put  10  cc.  of  the  oil,  previously  heated  to  15  or  20°C.  in  a 
graduated  cylinder,  add  carefully  4  drops  sulphuiic  acid,  shake  well  for 
several  minutes,  add  4  drops  pure  nitric  acid,  and  shake  again.  Pure 
sesame  oil  is  soon  colored  dark-green,  which  turns  quickly  into  a  cur- 
rant-red color  ;  if  adulterated  with  poppy  oil,  cotton-seed  oil  or  mus- 
tard oil,  this  coloration  does  not  take  place. — Pharm.  Ztschr.f.  Russl., 
Feb.  1,  1879,  p.  79. 
Coffee  adulterated  with  the  Ground  Seeds  of  Cassia  occident- 
alis. — A  lot  of  ground  coffee  recently  offered  at  a  very  low  figure  to  a 
military  department  of  Berlin  was  examined  under  the  microscope  and 
