Am  Jour.  Pharm.  ^ 
July,  1875.  i 
Varieties. 
Oil  of  Turpentine  is  deprived  of  its  odor  by  distilling  it  over  tannic  acid, 
— Gunier's  patent  — Boett^ers  Notizblatt. 
Cement  for  Fastening  India  Rubber  on  Metal. — Macerate  one  part  of 
powdered  shellac  in  10  parts  strong  water  of  ammonia  for  3  or  4  weeks.  On  applica- 
tion It  will  soften  the  India  rubber,  but  this  will  regain  its  hardness  after  the  am- 
monia has  evaporated. — Pharm.  Centralh.,  1875. 
Ferrum  Hydrogenio  Reductum. — Crclas  (Lyons,  France)  calls  attention  to 
the  fact  that  sulphuric  acid  in  contact  with  iron  will  give  rise  to  formation  ot  sul- 
phuret  of  hydrogen,  and  says  that  the  same  objection  applies  to  muriatic  acid,  which 
often  contains  more  than  traces  of  sulphuric  acid.  This  will  be  an  objection  to  their 
use  in  examining  reduced  iron  for  sulphuret,  and  he  recommends,  therefore,  oxalic 
acid. — Rep.  de  Pharm.,  1874,  p.  9. 
Sulpho-Carbonate  of  Potassium  is  the  name  given  to  the  newly-discovered 
destroyer  of  Phylloxera  ^astatrix  it  is  prepared  on  a  large  scale  at  Pharmacie 
Centrale  (Paris)  by  shaking  together  equivalent  parts  of  sulphuret  of  potassium 
and  bisulphide  of  carbon.  The  resulting  solution  of  potassium  sulpho-carbonate 
does  not  contain  any  sulphide,  has  a  faint  odor  and  ligh  -yellow  color.  Bouchardat 
recommends  its  application  as  a  wash  or  ointment  for  men  and  animals. — Annuaire 
de  Therapy  1875. 
Albumen  in  Urine. — C.  F  Kuntze  recommends  the  following  reaction  (of 
Galipe)  for  albumen  :  Add  two  or  three  drops  of  the  suspected  urine  to  a  not  too 
weak  solution  of  picric  acid.  If  albumen  be  present,  there  will  appear  a  distinct 
turbidity,  and,  on  heating,  the  albumen  will  collect  in  a  clot. — Zeitschr.f.  Pract, 
Median,  1875.  H.  M.  W, 
Essential  Oil  of  Cherry  Laurel  consists,  according  to  the  investigations  of 
W.  A.  Tilden,  D  Sc  ,  mainly  of  benzoic  aldehyd  accompanied  with  hydrocyanic 
acid  (less  than  2  pr.  ct.,  according  to  Umney),  possibly  benzoic  alcohol  (perhaps  i 
pr  ct.)  and  minute  quantities  of  an  odorous  resin. —  Pharm.  Journ.,  bond.,  1875, 
March  27,  p.  761. 
F.  L.  Winckler  isolated  the  principle  from  which  oil  of  cherry  laurel  is  obtained, 
in  1839  ("  Buchner's  Repert.,"  Ixv,  p.  i).  From  the  seeds  of  cherry  laurel  he  ob- 
tained crystallized  amygdalin,  but  from  cherry  laurel  leaves  an  amorphous  com- 
pound was  obtained,  which  he  regarded  as  being  probably  amorphous  amygdalin  in 
combination  with  a  bitter  principle. 
Hydrobrom/te  of  Eserina  [physostigmia]  has  been  proposed  by  Duquesnel 
for  medicinal  use,  it  being  obtainable  in  crystals,  while  the  othersalts  of  this  alkaloid 
are  very  hygroscopic  and  mostly  uncrystalliz  ible. — Rep.  de  Pharm.,  1875,        3  P-  ^^S- 
A  New  Thermometric  Scale. — At  a  meeting  of  the  Chemical  Society,  recent- 
ly held  in  London,  Mr.  John  Williams  read  a  paper  in  which  he  proposed  a  new 
thermometric  scale.  After  specifying  the  several  defects  of  the  scales  now  in  com- 
mon use,  he  proceeded  to  describe  the  new  one  which  he  had  devised.    This  is 
