^"^jun'S'ifss^''™'}    Grhatti,  and  other  Substitutes  for  Gum  Arabic.  301 
bright  and  free  from  deposit  than  the  official  wine.  In  another  exper- 
iment the  author  showed  that  if  the  1867  wine  is  heated  carefully  to 
a  temperature  of  180°  F.  and  set  aside  to  cool,  there  slowly  separates  a 
a  coagulum.  Freed  from  this  by  filtration,  the  wine  is  obtained  per- 
fectly bright,  and  it  remains  in  this  condition  for  a  long  period. 
GHATTI,  AND  OTHER  INDIAN  SUBSTITUTES  FOR 
GUM  ARABIC.^ 
By  a.  Mander. 
A  short  time  ago  Mr.  E.  M.  Holmes  gave  me  some  samples  of  In- 
dian gums  which  have  recently  been  imported  in  large  quantities,  and 
suggested  an  examination.  The  results  I  have  obtained  will  per- 
haps not  be  altogether  uninteresting  to  the  members  of  this  Asso- 
ciation. 
The  packages  were  named    Glassy  Amrad,^'    East  India  Amrad," 
Pale  Amrad,''  "  Oomra  Whatti,''  and  ^'Ghatti,''  which  will  be  briefly 
noticed  seriatim. 
Glassy  amrad  is  a  dark  guru  consisting  of  more  or  less  rounded, 
and  some  stalactitic  pieces,  with  smooth  shining  surface  and  free 
from  internal  cracks.  Color  varying  from  dark-brown  to  pale 
yellow. 
With  the  proportion  of  distilled  water  directed  for  mucil.  acacise, 
B.  P.  it  completely  dissolved,  forming  a  tasteless  mucilage  of  a  dark 
yellowish-brown  color,  not  gelatinous,  but  very  viscid.  By  passing 
given  volumes  through  a  burette,  and  comparing  the  times  required, 
the  viscosity  was  found  to  be  2  (muc.  acac.  =1).  This  mucilage  was 
strongly  adhesive  and  readily  emulsified  oils,  but  the  products  were  of 
a  pale  fawn  color.  A  solution  of  borax  gelatinized  the  mucilage ; 
basic  lead  acetate  caused  a  slight  non-gelatinous  precipitate,  and  dense 
white  precipitates  were  formed  on  the  addition  of  ammonium  oxalate 
or  alcohol ;  ferric  chloride  gave  a  brownish  coloration. 
East  India  Amrad. — A  dark  brittle  gum  of  a  reddish  tint,  com- 
posed chiefly  of  transparent  angular  fragments  with  a  few  rounded 
masses  having  a  conchoidal  fracture.    When  dissolved  it  gave  a  taste- 
1  From  a  paper  read  before  the  School  of  Pharmacy  Students'  Association  ; 
reprinted  from  Fharm.  Jour,  and  Trans.,  April  14, 1888,  p.  876. 
