"^""/uXisss™'}    Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  289 
To  Pulverize  Boracic  Acid. — The  acid  is  placed  in  a  vessel 
with  a  sufficient  quantity  of  boiling  water  to  dissolve  it.  The  mix- 
ture is  then  vigorously  agitated  with  an  egg-beater  until  it  cools,  when 
it  gives  a  deposit  of  microscopical  crystals.  These  are  partially  dried 
between  sheets  of  filtering  paper  and  may  then  be  quickly  reduced  to 
impalpable  powder  in  the  mortar.  The  quantity  remaining  in  solution 
— which  is  very  small — may  be  regained  by  evaporation,  or  the  same 
liquid  may  be  used  again  for  the  same  purpose. — Le  monde  pharm., 
May  5,  1888. 
Potassium  Bichromate  in  Glue. — It  is  well-known  that  bichro- 
mate renders  glue  and  gluten  insoluble, whence  its  value  in  the  sizing  of 
various  fabrics.  The  Revue  Scientifique  gives  the  proportions  at  1  of 
bichromate  to  50  of  the  glue  mixture  ;  the  bichromate  should  be 
added  just  before  using. 
Uses  of  the  Iodophenols. — According  to  the  Moniteur  Scien- 
tifique, these  new  colorants  will  have  an  important  application  in  dye- 
ing, their  blue  and  violet  tints  being  remarkable  for  durability,  while 
the  cost  is  very  low.  The  process  of  dyeing  with  blue  iodophenol  is  very 
simple  and  differs  but  little  from  that  with  indigo.  The  reductive  pro- 
duct of  iodophenol  is  prepared  by  diffusing  the  blue  iodophenol  paste 
in  alkaline  liquor  with  glucose,  and  heating  to  80°  [176°  F.].  The 
mixture  takes  a  greenish  hue  and  has  a  striated  appearance  with  bronze 
reflexes  on  its  surface.  The  liquor  is  then  diluted  with  warm  water, 
when  the  cotton  fabric  is  dipped.  When  the  proper  shade  of  color  is 
obtained  the  fabric  is  pressed  and  exposed  to  the  air,  or  to  an  oxidizing 
bath ;  the  latter  is  best  made  with  an  ammoniacal  solution  of  a  cupric 
salt. 
Artificial  Busies. — Fr^my  and  Yerneuil  {Acad,  de  Sci.,  Feb. 
27,  1888),  report  important  improvements  in  their  product.  The 
process  as  announced  a  year  ago,  consisted  in  the  reaction  at  high  tem- 
perature of  barium  fluoride  upon  alumina  containing  traces  of  bichro- 
mate of  potassium.  The  crystals  were  lamellated  and  friable.  By 
recent  changes  in  manipulation,  hard  and  regularly  formed  crystals  are 
obtained,  perfectly  transparent  and  of  great  brilliancy.  Mr.  Des 
Cloizeaux,  the  mineralogist  stated  to  the  Academy  that  these  crystals 
were  identical  with  those  of  naturally  formed  rubies.  The  authors 
will  continue  their  experiments  on  a  more  extended  scale. — Monit, 
ScL,  April,  1888. 
