304  Gleanings  from  the  European  Journals. 
7  times  this  volume  of  water  and  then  agitated  with  about  20  drops 
of  chloroform,  which,  after  spontaneous  evaporation,  leaves  the  fusel 
oil,  recognizable  by  its  odor,  and  by  that  of  its  ether  when  treated  with 
a  little  sulphuric  acid  and  potassium  acetate.  1-20  per  cent,  of  fusel 
oil  is  said  to  be  thus  detected  in  alcohol. — Chem.  Cent.  Bl.^  1875,  No. 
15,  from  Ber.  Chem.  Ges..,  VIII. 
New  Uses  of  Salicylic  Acid. — F.  Mohr  observed  that  a  small  quantity 
of  salicylic  acid  dissolved  in  a  hot  solution  of  starch  will  preserve  the 
latter  for  analytical  purposes.  A  similar  influence  is  exerted  by  sal- 
icylic acid  upon  solutions  of  tartaric  acid  and  of  sulphate  of  quinia* 
Zeitschr.f  Anal.  Chem.^  1875,  No.  79. 
Lead  in  chlorate  of  potassium  has  been  repeatedly  detected  by  A. 
Hilger.  Its  presence  is  readily  proven  by  the  black  precipitate  with 
sulphuretted  hydrogen,  and  the  yellow  precipitate  with  chromate  of 
potassium.  Its  complete  removal  is  effected  by  repeated  crystalliza- 
tion from  water. — Archiv  d.  Phar..^  1875,  May,  p.  391. 
Iodine  in  nitric  acid  is  best  detected,  according  to  A.  Hilger,  by 
agitating  the  acid  with  sulphide  of  carbon,  which  will  assume  a  violet 
coloration.  If  no  color  is  imparted,  some  rasped  tin  is  added,  by  which 
iodic  acid  is  reduced  to  iodine,  and  the  carbon  sulphide  colored. — Ibid..f 
392. 
Sulphurous  and  arsenious  acids  in  muriatic  acid  are  detected  by  a 
weak  solution  of  iodine  which  is  decolorized  thereby.  On  the  addi- 
tion of  some  pure  zinc  to  the  acid,  the  evolved  hydrogen  will  impart  a 
black  color  to  paper  moistened  with  solution  of  silver  nitrate.  On  the 
other  hand,  barium  chloride  is  added  to  the  muriatic  acid,  the  liquid 
filtered  from  the  precipitate  occurring  if  sulphuric  acid  had  been  pres- 
ent, and  iodine  solution  added,  whereby  sulphurous  acid  will  be  ox- 
idized to  sulphuric  acid,  and  thus  occasion  a  precipitate  with  the  barium 
salt.    A.  Hilger. — Ihid..^  p.  393. 
New  Reagent  for  Brucia. — If  an  aqueous  solution  of  brucia  salt  is 
mixed  with  solution  of  mercurous  nitrate  free  from  excess  of  nitric 
acid,  no  coloration  occurs  in  the  cold  ;  but  by  the  heat  of  a  water- 
bath  a  carmine  color  is  produced,  which  gradually  becomes  more  in- 
tense, and  is  permanent  after  evaporation  to  dryness. 
Strychnia,  the  alkaloids  of  opium  and  cinchona,  veratria,  cofFeina 
and  piperina  are  not  colored  under  the  same  circumstances.  A  sim- 
ilar behavior  is  shown  by  albumen  and  phenol,  of  which  the  former  is 
