452 
Polyhydric  Alcohols  and  Borax. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\      Sept.,  1883. 
dryness  and  the  residue  heated  for  sorae  time  at  110°  C.  The  mass 
thus  obtained  did  not  give  any  green  flame  reaction  and  was  not  acid. 
It  was  extracted  with  absolute  ether  and  the  ethereal  solution  upon 
evaporation  left  a  white  residue  which  imparted  a  vivid  green  tinge 
to  the  flame.  This  substance  was  easily  soluble  in  alcohol  and  this 
solution  was  only  faintly  acid ;  it  also  dissolved  readily  in  water,  and 
this  solution,  which  was  strongly  acid  in  reaction,  deposited  crystals  of 
boric  acid  and  gave  plentiful  evidence  of  glucose  with  Fehling's  solu- 
tion. From  the  original  mass  absolute  alcohol  extracted  the  same 
substance  in  an  impure  condition.  These  experiments  were  now  re- 
peated with  pure  dextrose,  the  dextrose  and  anhydrous  borax,  the 
former  slightly  in  excess,  being  heated  together  to  about  140°  C.  Ab- 
solute ether  extracted  from  this  mixture  a  substance  which  behaved  in 
precisely  the  same  manner  as  that  obtained  from  commercial  glucose. 
The  residue  contained  sodium  metaborate. 
The  above  experiments  show  that  dextrose  decomposes  borax,  form- 
ing a  compound  which  is  probably  a  boric  ether  similar  in  character 
to  those  ethers  which  have  been  obtained  from  glycerol  and  mannitol ; 
sodium  metaborate  is  at  the  same  time  produced.  This  ether  may  be 
termed  dextrose  borin.  It  also  follows  from  the  above  experiments 
that  the  acidity  produced  when  aqueous  solutions  of  dextrose  and 
borax  are  brought  together  is  due  to  boric  acid.  A  mixture  of  dex- 
trose and  borax  resembles  a  mixture  of  mannitol  and  borax  in  giving 
no  flame  reaction  for  boric  acid  and  probably  for  the  same  reason. 
Action  of  Levulose  upon  Borax. — Pure  levulose  was  prepared  from 
invert  sugar  by  Dubrunfaut's  method.  It  was  heated  with  a  small 
quantity  of  anhydrous  borax  to  a  temperature  of  120°  C.  and  ex- 
tracted with  absolute  ether.  In  this  way  a  substance  was  obtained 
which  behaved  in  the  same  manner  as  the  similar  body  obtained  by 
the  action  of  dextrose  upon  borax.  An  aqueous  solution  of  levulose 
was  added  to  an  aqueous  solution  of  borax  until  a  strongly  acid  reac- 
tion prevailed.  The  liquid  was  evaporated  to  dryness  and  heated  to 
120°  C.  until  all  the  water  was  expelled.  Ether  extracted  from  this 
mixture  the  same  compound  that  was  obtained  by  heating  the  anhydrous 
substances  together.  Sodium  metaborate  was  found  in  the  residue  which 
had  been  extracted  by  ether.  Thus  levulose  decomposes  borax,  form- 
ing a  compound,  probably  boric  ether,  which  is  decomposed  by  water, 
yielding  boric  acid  and  regenerating  levulose ;  it  may  be  termed  levu- 
lose borin.    An  aqueous  solution  of  borax  to  which  excess  of  levulose 
