Am j  1^1  y"ri 8^9 arDn * }  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  359 
obtained  as  a  by-product,  will  not  oxidize  in  the  liquid,  nor  cause 
impurities  in  the  product,  but  may  be  utilized  again  for  generating  sul- 
phuretted hydrogen  on  the  addition  of  hydrochloric  acid,  and  that  th'e 
zinc  chloride  obtained  in  this  process  will  serve  for  precipitating  zinc 
tartrate. — Arch'iv  d.  Phar.,  April  1879,  P-  310- 
Solubility  of  Tartaric  Acid  in  Ether. — Very  minute  traces  of 
tartaric  acid  are  dissolved,  unless  the  ether  contains  alcohol,  when 
much  more  goes  into  solution  ;  pure  ether  will  extract  scarcely  any  of 
the  acid  from  an  aqueous  solution.  Dr.  Nessler  dissolved  0*2  gram 
tartaric  acid  in  5  cc.  water,  which  was  then  shaken  repeatedly  with 
40  cc.  ether,  when  20  cc.  of  the  decanted  etherial  liquid  contained  but 
3*93  per  cent,  of  the  acid.  0*2  gram  tartaric  acid  and  0*5  gram  rock 
candy  were  dissolved  in  water,  the  liquid  evaporated  to  a  syrupy  con- 
sistence, and  after  cooling  mixed  well  with  100  cc.  ether,  when  50  cc. 
of  the  decanted  liquid  yielded  on  evaporation  and  examination  but 
0*0262  instead  of  O'l  gram  of  the  acid. — Ztschr.  f  Analyt.  Chem., 
1879,  p.  230. 
The  root  of  Aconitum  heterophyllum  is  used  as  an  antiperiodic 
in  India.  The  plant  is  a  native  of  the  high,  mild  regions  of  the  west- 
ern Himalaya  mountains,  principally  of  Simla,  Kaschmir  and  Kumaon. 
The  root  is  egg-  or  spindle-shaped,  usually  flat  at  the  top  and  blunt  at 
the  bottom,  occasionally  tapering,  externally  light  yellowish-gray,  inter- 
nally white,  2  to  7  centimeters  in  length,  6  to  22  millimeters  in  diam- 
eter in  the  thickest  portion,  has  a  bitter,  mealy  taste,  and  when  sub- 
jected to  an  analysis,  by  v.  Wasowicz,  yielded  : 
1.  A  soft  fat,  probably  a  mixture  of  olein,  palmitin  and  stearin.  2. 
Aconitic  acid.  3.  An  acid  similar  to  tannic  acid.  4.  Cane  sugar. 
5.  Vegetable  mucilage.  6.  Pectin  substances.  7.  Atesina,  an  amor- 
phous, not  poisonous  alkaloid,  previously  isolated  by  Broughton  (5  kilo- 
grams of  the  dry  root  yielded  not  quite  3  grams  of  pure  alkaloid),  and 
probably  another  uncrystallizable  alkaloid. 
The  ashes  of  the  root  consisted  of  Al,  Mg,  Fe,  Ka  and  a  trace 
of  Ca,  combined  with  hydrochloric,  phosphoric,  sulphuric  and  silicic 
acid. — Archiv  d.  Pharm.,  March,  1879,  p.  193. 
Tubera  Aconiti  Japonici. — Two  different  kinds  appear  in  the 
market  under  this  name,  Aconitum  japonicum,  Hort.,  and  Aconitum 
japonicum,  Thunberg.     Seringe  considers  the  former  to  be  a  variety  of 
