300  Analytical  Researches  and  Investigations,  {^"jnne'^issa'^™" 
A  new  Reaction  of  the  Aldehydes.  By  F.  Penzold  and  E.  Fischer. 
— Upon  mixing  diabetic  urine  with  an  alkaline  solution  of  diazo-benzol- 
sulphonic  acid  there  appeared,  after  from  10  to  15  minutes,  a  red  color 
which  gradually  assumed  a  violet  tint.  The  same  behavior  was  shown 
by  a  solution  of  pure  grape  sugar,  and  the  authors  recognized  the 
reaction  as  one  common  to  the  aldehydes,  for  the  detection  of  which 
it  can  be  applied.  For  the  application  of  the  test  the  diazo-benzol- 
sulphonic  acid  is  each  time  freshly  dissolved  in  about  60  parts  of  cold 
water  and  a  little  solution  of  caustic  soda,  the  substance  to  be  tested, 
mixed  with  dilute  alkali  and  a  few  particles  of  sodium  amalgam  are 
added,  and  the  solution  allowed  to  repose.  In  the  presence  of  an  alde- 
hyde there  appears  after  from  10  to  20  minutes  the  reddish  violet 
■color.  In  the  case  of  bitter  almond  oil  it  may  still  be  detected  in  the 
dilution  of  1 : 3000  with  perfect  certitude. — Ihid,  No.  32,  p.  490,  from 
Ber.  d.  Deutsch.  Ch.  Ges.,  16,  p.  657, 
A  Contribiotion  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Putrefaction  Alkaloids.  By 
L.  Brieger. — If  pepton,  which  has  been  obtained  from  fibrin  by  the 
action  of  the  gastric  juice,  and  free  from  putrefaction  products  (indol, 
phenols,  oxyacids),  is  evaporated,  extracted  with  boiling  alcohol,  and 
the  residue  remaining  after  the  evaporation  of  the  alcohol  taken  up 
with  pure  hot  amylic  alcohol,  filtered  and  evaporated,  there  remains  an 
amorphous  mass,  which  possesses  strongly  poisonous  properties.  The 
substance  is  readily  soluble  in  water,  but  insoluble  in  ether,  benzol 
and  chloroform.  The  aqueous  solution  affords  a  white  precipitate  with 
phospho-molybdic  and  phospho-wolframic  acids,  a  yellow  precipitate 
wdth  potassio-cadmic  and  potassio-mercuric  iodides,  and  a  red  precipi- 
tate with  cadmium-bismuth  iodide.  Auric  and  mercuric  chlorides  also 
produce  precipitates  in  the  solution,  but  not  platinic  chloride.  Iodine 
solutions  give  brown  precipitates,  tannin  colors  the  solution  brown, 
ferricyanide  of  potassium  and  ferric  chloride  blue.  The  white  precipi- 
tate obtained  by  Millon^s  reagent  becomes  intensely  red  on  boiling. 
The  toxic  subcutaneous  dose  of  the  evaporated  extract  is  for  frogs  0*05 
to  0*1  gm.,  and  for  small  rabbits  0*5  to  1  gm.,  death  being  preceded  by 
-a  condition  of  paralysis  and  drowsiness.  The  poisonous  substance  was 
also  prepared  once  from  Witte's  dry  pepton,  but  subsequently  its 
preparation  from  this  pepton  was  no  longer  successful,  and  it  was  con- 
firmed that  also  this  pepton  possessed  of  itself  absolutely  no  poisonous 
properties,  although  by  the  renewed  action  of  artificial  gastric  juice  it 
afforded  small  amounts  of  the  poison.    The  same  toxic  substance  may 
