732  Scientific  and  Technical  Abstracts       | AmbJc°tU,ri92iarm' 
It  is  sufficiently  sensitive  to  detect  traces  of  saccharin  in  foodstuffs, 
after  extraction  by  alcohol  and  water  in  the  usual  way,  preferably 
adding  the  sulphuric  acid  to  the  solvent  employed  for  extraction. — 
Through  the  Chemist  &  Druggist. 
A  New  Method  for  the  Estimation  of  Morphine. — Trifon 
Ugarte  (Journ.  de  Pharm.  et  de  Chirn.,  February  16,  1921).  One 
gram  of  powdered  opium  is  introduced  into  a  flask  of  200  cc.  ca- 
pacity, and  10  cc.  of  alcohol  (67  per  cent.)  is  added.  The  mixture 
is  placed  on  the  water  bath  for  five  minutes,  and  then  filtered.  The 
filtrate  is  collected  in  a  crystallizing  pan  with  a  diameter  of  7  centi- 
metres and  2  centimetres  deep.  The  insoluble  portion  is  treated  suc- 
cessively three  times  as  described,  and  the  filtrates  collected  in  the 
crystallizing  pan.  The  collected  liquids  are  evaporated  on  the  water 
bath,  and  the  dry  residue  is  maintained  for  15  minutes  at  a  tempera- 
ture of  ioo°,  to  oxidize  the  resins,  and  thereby  render  them  insolu- 
ble; 5  cc.  of  cold  distilled  water  is  now  added  to  the  residue  and 
filtered  into  a  flask  having  a  capacity  of  200  cc.  This  operation  is 
repeated  three  times,  and  the  collected  20  cc.  of  liquid  is  evaporated 
on  the  water  bath.  The  residue  is  dissolved  in  2  cc.  of  water  satu- 
rated with  morphine,  and  under  agitation  3  cc.  of  normal  solution  of 
ammonia  saturated  with  morphine  are  added,  as  well  as  10  cc.  of 
ether,  and  the  whole  shaken.  The  shaking  causes  a  rapid  fall  in 
temperature,  due  to  the  evaporation  of  the  ether.  A  further  addition 
of  20  cc.  of  ether  is  made,  and  the  mixture  set  aside  for  30  min- 
utes. The  morphine  now  crystallizes  out  in  the  form  of  small  gran- 
ules. After  adding  10  cc.  of  ether  the  mixture  is  filtered,  the 
crystals  of  morphine  are  removed  by  means  of  a  glass  rod  provided 
with  an  India  rubber  cap,  and  by  the  use  of  a  jet  of  distilled  water 
saturated  with  morphine  and  ether.  The  filters  are  then  dried  at  a 
temperature  of  ioo°  to  105 0  and  weighed. — Through  the  Chemist 
&  Druggist. 
The  Effect  of  Alkalinity  on  the  Use  of  Hypochlorites. 
— E.  K.  Rideal  and  W.  R.  Evans,  in  the  Journal  of  the  Society  of 
Chemical  Industry,  point  out  that  the  keeping  qualities  of  solutions 
of  hypochlorites  are  enhanced  by  the  presence  of  free  alkali,  but 
that  when  used  as  disinfectants  or  for  treatment  of  water  to  destroy 
