^^iSS""'}  Gleanings  from- the  German  Journals.  357 
J.i  Calomel  powders,  containing  magnesia  or  sodium  bicarbonate 
alone,  will  contain  corrosive  sublimate,  if  digested  with  water. 
6.  The  formation  of  corrosive  sublimate  in  mixtures  of  calomel  and 
alkalies  digested  in  water  for  a  short  time  is  not  favored,  but  on  the 
contrary  prevented  by  the  presence  of  hydrochloric  acid  in  the  water, 
the  acid  neutralizing,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  alkalies  which  cause  the 
formation. — Archiv  d.  Pharm.  April,  1879,  p.  347. 
Calomel  and  Iodine. — A  dissociation  of  calomel  in  corrosive 
sublimate  and  mercury  and  a  transformation  of  the  latter,  while  in  a 
nascent  state,  into  mercury  iodide,  due  to  a  prolonged  contact  with 
greatly  diluted  iodine  vapors,  rising  from  a  not  hermetically-closed 
iodine  bottle,  are  reported  by  Ed.  Schaer,  who  states  that  the  calomel 
bottle  was  covered  with  copious  efflorescences  of  both  the  bichloride 
and  iodide  of  mercury. — Ber  d.  Deutsch.  Ch'em.  Ges.y  xii.,  p.  675. 
Purification  of  Carbonic  Acid.— After  giving  all  known  methods 
of  purification  a  fair  trial,  I.  Foerster  feels  satisfied  that  the  process  by 
means  of  purified  charcoal  is  the  best.  The  carbonic  acid  gas  is  passed 
from  the  generator  first  through  two  wash-cylinders  partly  filled  with 
a  solution  of  sodium  carbonate  (1  to  5),  then  through  a  third  vessel 
containing  freshly  powdered  charcoal,  next  through  a  mixture  of  coarsely 
powdered  charcoal  and  water  (1  to  3),  and  finally  into  the  fountain  con- 
taining distilled  water.  Mineral  water  thus  prepared  is  claimed  to  be 
ffee  from  all  unpleasant  taste  and  odor,  to  keep  for  a  long  time  and  to 
be  far  superior  to  the  ordinary  kind. — Pharm.  Ztscbr.f.  Russl.,  April 
15,  1879,  p.  225. 
The  Various  Disinfectants  and  their  Efficacy  have  been  rein- 
vestigated by  E.  Reichardt,  who  considers  the  use  of  thymol,  creasote, 
crude  carbolic  acid,  carbolate  and  chloride  of  lime,  tarry  substances,  a 
mixture  of  three  to  four  parts  gypsum  and  one  of  iron  sulphate,  the 
latter  or  unslaked  lime  alone,  cleanliness,  and  whitewashing  with  lime 
or  a  mixture  of  three  parts  slaked  lime  and  one  chloride  of  lime,  excel- 
lent precautions  against  and  preventives  of  contagious  diseases  and 
epidemics,  but  warns  against  the  addition  of  organic  substances  or  of  iron 
sulphate  to  chloride  of  lime,  as  recommended  by  some  physicians, 
claiming  that  they  immediately  combine  with  the  free  chlorine  of  the 
lime,  which  then  in  a  combined  state  loses  all  its  efficacy  as  a  disinfect- 
ant.    The  author  also  strongly  advocates  the  burning  of  alcohol  in 
