Am.  JouivPharm. 
June,  1913. 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
269 
used  commercially.  It  is  claimed  that  200  tons  of  sawdust  produce 
6000  gallons  of  ethyl  alcohol,  besides  large  quantities  of  acetic  acid 
and  wood  naphtha.    (Grosh,  Druggists  Circular.) 
Strophanthinum. — Strophanthin-Kombe  of  commerce  is 
amorphous,  not  crystallized  as  this  substance  is  described  in  the 
U.  S.  P.  The  melting  point  should  be  omitted,  as  official  stroph- 
anthines a  mixture  of  variable  composition.  {Jour,  of  A.  Ph.  A., 
April,  1913,  page  5.) 
Sulphonethylmethanum. — The  melting  point  should  be  re- 
placed by  a  range  of  75 0  to  77 °,  which  limits  should  be  definitely 
required  as  a  test  of  purity.  In  the  permanganate  test  20  ex.  of 
the  filtrate  from  the  preceding  test  should  be  taken  and  0.05  c.c.  of 
N/10  potassium  permanganate  (measured  with  a  1  c.c.  pipette). 
As  the  test  now  stands,  it  is  too  vague  to  be  of  use.  {Jour.  A.  Ph. 
A.,  April,  1913.) 
Tariff  Reductions  for  Chemicals. — So  far  as  the  revision  of 
the  tariff  in  connection  with  drugs  and  chemicals  is  concerned  a 
glance  over  Schedule  A  shows  generally  a  sweeping  reduction  in 
present  rates. 
Terpini  Hydras. — The  official  statement  that  it  is  permanent  in 
the  air  does  not  agree  with  practical  experience,  which  shows  that 
it  is  somewhat  efflorescent  and  often  does  not  contain  fully  one 
molecule  of  crystal  water.  For  this  reason  a  determination  of  the 
melting  point,  as  a  test  for  organic  impurities,  is  desirable,  and  is 
preferably  made  after  removal  of.  the  water  by  drying  the  finely 
powdered  substance  over  H2S04  to  a  constant  weight,  as  the  melt- 
ing point  of  the  hydrate  varies  with  the  degree  of  hydration.  An- 
hydrous terpin  hydrate  should  melt  between  1020  and  105  °. 
Test  for  Formaldehyde. — Deniges  {Comp.  rend,  through 
Pharm.  Zentrh.)  offers  this  method  for  detecting  formaldehyde: 
5  c.c.  of  suspected  solution  is  mixed  with  an  equal  volume  of  solu- 
tion of  fuchsin  disulphite  and  1.30  c.c.  of  H2S04  sp.  gr.  1.66;  if 
formaldehyde  be  present  a  blue  color  will  show.  This  color  reac- 
tion manifests  itself  with  as  small  a  quantity  as  0.01  milligramme 
within  5  mintites.  This  test  is  applicable  to  any  substance  from 
which  formaldehyde  is  easily  separated  by  sulphuric  acid. 
Test  for  Nitrites. — A.  C.  G.  Egerton  states  that  a-naphthyl- 
amine  sulphanilic  acid  is  impracticable  for  use  as  a  colorimetric 
reagent,  owing  to  the  precipitate  formed.  He  finds  that  dimethyl- 
aniline  dissolved  in  acetic  acid  gives  a  coloration  with  a  solution 
containing  0.005  gramme  N202  per  c.c,  at  which  concentration,  he 
