Am  jour  Phann. )     Scientific  and  Technical  Abstracts.  447 
June,  1921.       )  ' 
SCIENTIFIC  AND  TECHNICAL 
ABSTRACTS 
Toxicity  of  Thymol  and  Carvacrol. — Dr.  A.  E.  Livingston, 
of  the  Hygienic  Laboratory,  has  recently  published  the  results  of  an 
extensive  investigation  of  the  comparative  toxicity  of  thymol  and 
carvacrol.  He  reports :  the  toxicity  of  thymol  and  carvacrol  on  rab- 
bits is  essentially  the  same ;  the  toxicity  of  thymol  and  carvacrol  as 
tested  on  paramecia  shows  no  striking  difference;  tests  on  earth- 
worms indicate  that  the  relative  anthelmintic  values  of  thymol  and 
carvacrol  are  practically  the  same.  (/.  Pharm.  Esp.  Ther.,  Vol.  17, 
p,  261,  1921.) 
J.  F.  C. 
Identification  of  Tr.  Colchicum. — Gliicksmann  suggests  the 
following  procedure  for  the  identifying  of  this  tincture:  1.  A  dull 
yellow  solution  results  from  the  mixing  of  1  ml.  Tr.  Colchicum  and 
9  ml.  cone,  hydrochloric  acid.  2.  Mayer's  test.  3.  25  ml.  of  tinc- 
ture to  which  is  added  0.5  Gm.  paraffin  are  evaporated  with 
shaking  on  the  steam  bath  shaken  up  with  6  ml.  of  distilled  water, 
cooled,  filtered,  the  residue  washed  and  the  filtrate  evaporated  to 
dryness,  extracter  with  10  ml.  warm  chloroform  and  filtered  after 
adding  a  little  asbestos.  The  chloroform  is  evaporated  off,  the  resi- 
due is  dissolved  in  about  5  ml.  of  water  and  filtered  if  necessary.  The 
clear  solution  is  treated  with  1  to  2  drops  of  10  per  cent,  ferric  chlo- 
ride solution  and  10  drops  of  strong  hydrochloric  acid,  and  is  main- 
tained several  minutes  at  the  boiling  point  in  order  to  convert  the 
colchicine  into  colchicein.  By  this  treatment  the  green  color  which 
develops  becomes  more  intense.  If  this  is  not  sufficiently  decisive 
the  cooled  solution  is  shaken  with  an  equal  volume  of  chloroform, 
which,  after  several  days,  becomes  colored  cherry  red.  (Apoth- 
Ztg.  der  tschechoslowakischen  Republic,  1920,  p.  328.) 
J.  F.  C. 
