Amsept%876arm'}  Gleanings  from  the  Foreign  Journals.  411 
Oil  of  Orris. — Prof.  Fliickiger  has  examined  the  solid  oil  which  is 
prepared  in  Europe  from  orris-root  by  distillation.  By  repeated  crys- 
tallization from  alcohol  and  treatment  with  animal  charcoal,  inodorous 
crystals  were  obtained,  having  the  composition  (C14H2802)  and  proper- 
ties of  myristic  acid,  while  the  odorous  principle  remained  in  the 
mother  liquor,  so  that  oil  of  orris  must  be  regarded  as  myristic  acid, 
impregnated  with  some  volatile  oil.  The  acid  does  not  pre-exist  in 
orris-root,  and  is  probably  liberated  from  a  fat  by  the  influence  of 
steam. — Archiv  d.  Phar.,  June. 
The  behavior  of  castor  oil  to  petroleum  benzin  was  observed  by  Hager 
eight  years  ago,  and  recently  subjected  to  further  experiments.  After 
agitating  one  volume  of  castor  oil  with  two  of  petroleum  benzin  and 
setting  the  mixture  aside,  it  separates  after  several  hours  in  two  layers, 
the  heavier  of  which  occupies  1*6  vol.  at  i6°C.  (6o*8°F.)and  175  vol. 
at  io°C.  (50°F.),  while  the  upper  layer  is  benzin,  containing  about  i~30th 
of  castor  oil  in  solution.  In  the  presence  of  other  fixed  oils,  the  be- 
havior is  different  :  if  the  admixture  is  small  the  heavier  stratum  will 
be  reduced  in  volume  to  1  or  1*2,  and  to  about  0*4  if  the  admixture 
amounts  to  25  per  cent.  In  the  presence  of  still  larger  quantities 
complete  solution  takes  place.  The  nature  of  the  fixed  oil,  however, 
-exerts  some  influence  so  that  the  amount  of  adulteration  cannot  be 
estimated  from  the  volume  of  the  heavier  stratum.  At  a  temperature 
•of  40°C.  (i04°F.)  separation  into  three  strata  takes  place. 
Pure  Benzol,  having  a  boiling  point  of  8o-85°C.  (176-185^.)  dis- 
solves castor  oil  in  all  proportions. 
Alcohol  of  90  per  cent,  yields  clear  mixtures  with  castor  oil  in  all 
proportions  at  25°C.  (77°F.),  but  from  3  to  5  volumes  are  required  at 
15  to  i8°C.  In  the  presence  of  other  fixed  oils,  much  larger  quan- 
tities of  alcohol  will  not  yield  clear  solutions  ;  but  with  2  vol.  alcohol 
on  standing,  separation  into  three  strata  takes  place,  the  lowest  of 
which  is  usually  the  foreign  oil,  the  second  one  castor  oil  containing 
alcohol,  and  the  upper  layer  alcohol  containing  castor  oil  in  solution. 
On  cooling  a  warm  solution  of  castor  oil  in  alcohol,  three  layers 
are  often  formed,  the  lowest  containing  mainly  stearin  and  the  second 
chiefly  olein. — Ph.  Cent.  Halle,  No.  7,  8. 
Aeterpen  (abbreviated  from  aethyl- terpen)  is  the  name  of  a  new  com- 
pound, given  by  V.  Meyer  and  F.  V.  Spitzer  to  a  body  obtained  by 
them  in  their  investigations  on  the  constitution  of  the  terpens,  C10Hl6, 
