66  Gleanings.  {""""'Firis^yt""' 
sodium,  a  terpen,  C^jH^^,  boiling  between  158°  and  159°,  and  having 
a  specific  gravity  of  0*8793  at  0°  C.  The  portion  boiling  at  a  higher 
temperature  was  of  a  deep-blue  color  and  not  of  a  constant  boiling 
point. — Ihid.^  p.  4. 
Iodine  and  arsen'ious  acid  yield,  according  to  Prof.  Zinno,  ("  Amer.  Jour. 
Phar.,"  1873,  P-  445)  prismatic  crystals  of  iodo-arsenic  acid.  M.  Weg- 
ner  has  repeated  these  experiments  and  comes  to  the  conclusion  that 
such  an  acid  cannot  be  obtained  by  the  published  process.  When  iodine 
is  dissolved  in  a  solution  of  arsenious  acid,  as  long  as  decoloration  takes 
place,  the  liquid  contains  hydriodic  and  arsenic  acids,  the  presence  of 
which  can  be  readily  proven  by  the  reaction  with  silver  nitrate.  On 
evaporation,  iodine  is  set  free  and  the  arsenic  acid  is  reduced  to  arsen- 
ious acid,  which  finallv  crystallizes  in  octohedrons  and  flat  tables,  pro- 
duced by  the  enlargement  of  two  opposite  planes  of  the  octohedrons  ; 
these  crystals  are  arsenious  acid,  retaining  a  minute  quantity  of  hydri- 
odic acid.  Precisely  the  same  behaviour  is  shown  by  a  mixture  of 
solutions  of  hydriodic  and  arsenic  acid. — Jh'uL^  voL  clxxiv^pp.  129-133. 
The  adulteration  of  beeswax  ivith  fapan  wax  appears  to  be  carried  on 
in  some  parts  of  France  to  some  extent.  Ch.  Mene,  in  experimenting 
with  the  view  of  detecting  this  adulteration,  has  obtained  the  following 
results  : 
-TA  Fusing  Congealing 
^^"^'^i'-  pointr  pSint. 
Degrees  C.     Degrees  C. 
Japan  wax,  .  .  .  i  •00200(?)52-54  45-46 
Beeswax,  ....      0*96931     64-65  63-64 
50  parts  Japan  wax  with  50  parts  beeswax,  0*93518  64-65  61-62 
60  "      "       40    "        "  0*92785    64-65  61-62 
0*90730  64-65  61-62 
0*90452  63-64  61-62 
0*90164  63-64  62-63 
0*88703  63-64  62-63 
085100    63-64  62-63 
65  "  35 
70  "  "      "       30  " 
75  "  "  25  " 
80  "  20 
90  "  "  10  " 
It  will  be  observed  that  the  specific  gravity  is  a  better  means  to  de- 
tect such  a  fraud  than  either  the  fusing  or  congealing  point. — Rep.  de 
Pharm.^  1874,  />.  427. 
Salicylic  acid^  according  to  Prof.  H.  Kolbe,  retards  or  prevents  the 
decomposition  of  amygdalin  by  emulsin,  the  generation  of  the  vola- 
tile oil  in  powdered  mustard,  the  fermentation  of  glucose,  the  produc- 
