Am'AugU^is7h6!rm*}  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals.  353 
taste,  is  sparingly  soluble  in  cold,  but  more  in  warm  water,  and  readily 
soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  chloroform  and  carbon  bisulphide.  Benzol 
and  petroleum  benzin  dissolve  it  less  readily  ;  it  crystallizes  from  alco- 
hol in  large  sulphur-yellow  prisms,  fuses  at  I24°C.  (255*2°F.),  and 
dissolves  in  alkalies  with  a  yellow  color,  being  reprecipitated  by  acids. 
Nitric  acid  dissolves  it  with  a  blood-red,  sulphuric  acid  with  a  brown- 
yellow,  and  muriatic  acid  with  a  yellow  color.  The  aqueous  solution 
is  neutral,  yields  with  subacetate  of  lead  a  bright,  yellow  precipitate, 
and  with  iron  salts  a  brown-red  coloration  or,  when  concentrated,  a 
blackish-brown  precipitate,  and  reduces  in  the  cold,  silver  and  gold 
salts,  also  Fehling's  solution — the  latter  rapidly  on  warming.  Its  com- 
position, according  to  an  analysis  by  I.  A.  Todd,  is  C21H20O6,  and 
of  its  lead  compound  C^H^Og-j^  (PbH202). — Neues  Repert.  d.  Phar., 
1876,  23-28. 
Taxina. — W.  Marme  obtained  this  poisonous  alkaloid  by  exhausting 
the  powdered  seeds  or  leaves  of  Taxus  baccata  with  ether,  distilling 
off  the  ether  and  exhausting  the  residue  with  warm  acidulated  water. 
From  the  colorless  filtrate,  the  alkaloid  is  precipitated  by  alkalies  in 
snow-white  flocks,  which,  when  collected,  form  a  white  crystalline 
powder,  which  is  soluble  in  acidulated  water,  alcohol,  ether,  chloro- 
form, benzol  and  carbon  bisulphide,  but  not  in  petroleum  benzin. 
Concentrated  sulphuric  acid  colors  it  red  ;  other  acids  dissolve  it  with- 
out coloration.  It  is  precipitated  by  all  reagents  characteristic  for  alka- 
loids, except  by  the  chlorides  of  platinum,  gold  and  mercury,  and  by 
platino- cyanide  of  potassium.  It  contains  nitrogen,  but  crvstallizable 
salts  could  not  be  obtained. — Chem.  Cent"albl.,  No.  11. 
The  Inula  camphor  of  J.  Kallen  (uAmer.  Jour.  Pharm.,"  1874,  298) 
has  been  further  examined  by  the  same  chemist.  It  was  obtained  in 
the  form  of  white  crystals  by  distilling  elecampane  root  with  steam. 
On  pressing  the  crystals  between  bibulous  paper,  and  distilling  the  lat- 
ter with  water,  a  yellowish  liquid,  alantol,  is  obtained,  having  an  aro- 
matic taste  and  the  odor  of  peppermint,  and  boiling  near  2000  C.  Its 
composition  is  C10H16O. 
The  crystals  remaining  after  pressing,  are  repeatedly  crystallized  from 
dilute  alcohol,  when  they  form  colorless  prismatic  needles,  of  a  faint 
odor  and  taste,  fusing  at  66°  C.  and  sublimable,  readily  soluble  in  alco- 
hol and  ether,  but  slightly  in  water.  It  is  the  anhydrid  of  a  new 
acid  (alantsaure)  of  the  formula  C15H20O2 ;  the  acid  is  C15H22Os,  crys- 
23 
