326 
Current  Literature. 
j  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
t      July,  1913. 
conferred  as  a  mark  of  appreciation  by  a  University  of  the  highest 
rank.  Not  through  self  seeking  but  for  reason  that  the  institution 
honors  itself  in  soliciting  the  privilege  of  bestowing  this  degree 
upon  one  who  has  proven  himself  worthy  to  wear  it. 
CURRENT  LITERATURE.' 
PRECIPITATING  ALKALOIDS  BY  LLOYD'S  REAGENT. 
In  a  preliminary  note  published  in  the  Journal  of  the  American 
Chemical  Society  for  June,  1913,  p.  837,  Sigmund  Waldbott  calls 
attention  to  John  Uri  Lloyd's  patent  involving  reactions  of  intense 
scientific  interest  and  wide  scope,  the  extent  of  which  has  been 
perceived  by  no  one  more  clearly  than  the  discoverer  himself. 
Reserving  a  more  detailed  statement  of  his  labors  for  future  pub- 
lication, Professor  Lloyd,  at  the  beginning,  has  kindly  given  Mr. 
Waldbott  the  privilege  of  investigating  the  chemical  and  physical 
nature  of  his  reagent. 
This  reagent  is  essentially  hydrous  aluminium  silicate,  derived 
from  Fuller's  earth.  The  reagent  has  the  startling  quality  of  pre- 
cipitating alkaloids  completely  from  neutral  or  acid  solutions 
thereof.  The  alkaloid  may  be  recovered  by  treatment  with  a  base 
and  an  alkaloidal  solvent.  Quinine  bisulphate  was  used  exclusively 
in  the  following  experiments,  since  Professor  Lloyd  himself  has 
extended  his  research  over  a  great  number  of  alkaloids  and 
alkaloidal  salts,  including  those  occurring  in  plants. 
The  reagent  had  approximately  the  following  composition : 
H20,  17.  41  per  cent.;  Si02,  55.30  per  cent.;  A1203,  9.82  per  cent.; 
Fe2Os,  14.18  per  cent.;  CaO,  1.58  per  cent.;  C02,  per  cent,  not  de- 
termined. Heating  the  material  to  about  130  0  did  not  destroy  its 
peculiar  activity;  but  a  red  heat  expelled  an  additional  quantity 
of  water  rendering  the  reagent  inert.  When  the  reagent  is  ex- 
hausted with  hydrochloric  acid,  the  residual  earth  is  still  effective. 
The  activity  of  the  reagent  is  not  impaired  by  concentrated  nitric 
acid  or  by  aqua  regia.  After  the  alkaloid  has  been  removed  from 
its  combination  with  the  reagent,  the  residual  material  retains  the 
full  effect.  This  process  results  in  a  jelly  difficult  to  filter  and 
slow  to  settle  it ;  it  is  precipitated  readily  by  addition  of  an  acid,  or 
an  alkaloidal  salt.   In  drying,  the  jelly  shrinks  to  a  very  small  bulk; 
