Am.  Jour  Pharm.  "I 
Feb.,  1875.  J 
Gleanings, 
65 
decided  traces  that  they  may  be  recognized  by  the  color  of  their  oxida- 
tion products.  If  nitric  acid  is  partially  neutralized  by  such  ammonia, 
a  rose  or  deeper  red  color  is  produced,  which  disappears  again  on  the 
further  addition  of  ammonia  to  supersaturation.  If  the  ammonia  is  at 
once  added  in  excess,  this  coloration  is  not  observed. — Ibid.^  Sept.^  pp. 
512-514. 
Volatile  Oil  of  Garden  Cress  (Lepidimn  sativum). — Dr.  Hugo  Tromms- 
dorfF  prepared  this  oil  by  distilling  the  fresh  herb,  immediately  after  flow- 
ering, with  steam.  The  distillate  did  not  separate  any  oil,  which  was 
obtained  by  agitation  with  benzol,  73  kilograms  of  the  herb  yielding  84 
grams.  Professor  A.  W.  Hofmann  found  this  oil  to  boil  at  226*5°  C, 
at  which  temperature  three-fourths  distilled  over.  The  first  portion 
contained  a  sulphur  compound,  the  nature  of  which  has  not  yet  been 
ascertained  ;  the  remainder  of  the  distillate  consists  of  the  nitrile  of 
phenylacetic  acid,  and  is  therefore  identical  with  the  oil  of  Tropaolum 
majus  ("Amer.  Jour.  Phar.,"  1874,  p.  331),  which  it  resembles  closely 
m  odor. — Bsr.  d.  d.  Chem.  Ges.^  1874,  p.  1293. 
Allylalcohol  among  the  products  of  the  dry  distillation  of  zvood. — The 
penetrating  odor  of  crude  wood-spirit,  according  to  B.  Aronheim,  is 
due  to  allylalcohol,  which,  in  its  pure  state,  boils  at  97°  C.  (206*6°  F.), 
the  boiling  point  being,  however,  reduced  to  88^-89°  C.  by  the  addition 
of  water. — Ibid..,  p.  1381. 
Oil  of  Eucalyptus. — A  Faust  and  J.  Homeyer  state  that  the  eucalyp- 
tol  of  Cloez  ("  Amer.  Jour.  Phar.,"  1870,  p.  465)  is  a  mixture  of  different 
compounds,  and  that  the  oil  of  Eucalyptus  consists  of,  i,  a  terpen,  C^^^Hjg, 
boiling  at  I50°-I5i°  C. ;  2,  another  terpen,  CjqH^q, boiling  between  172° 
and  175°  C.  ;  3,  cymol,  C^^H^^  ;  and,  4,  a  body,  C^^H^^O,  which,  by 
sulphur  phosphide,  is  readily  converted  into  cymol.  The  compounds 
2  and  3  constitute  about  nine-tenths  of  this  volatile  oil,  and  the  pro- 
portion of  the  terpen  to  the  cymol  is  2  :  I. — Ibid..,  p.  1429. 
Volatile  Oil  of  Olibanum. — By  fractional  distillation,  A.  Kurbatow 
separated  this  volatile  oil  into  oliben  and  an  oxygenated  portion,  the 
latter  boiling  above  175°  C.     Oliben  =  C^^O^g  has  an  agreeable  aro- 
matic odor,  a  specific  gravity  of  0*863  C,  boils  between  156 
and  158°  C,  and  yields,  with  muriatic  acid  gas,  crystals  of  the  com 
position  C^^H^gHCl. — Annal.  d.  Chemie.,  vol.  clxxiii.,  p.  i. 
V ilatile  oil  of  calamus  has  been  examined  by  the  same  author,  who 
obtained  from  the  portion  boiling  below  170°  C,  after  treatment  with 
5 
