^'"jlZ'is^o""' }  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  1 5 
10  grams  of  ether,  spec.  grav.  0*728,  and  1*5  gram  of  ammonia,  spec, 
grav.  0*960.  The  mixture  is  set  aside  for  24  hours,  at  the  expiration 
of  which  time  the  morphia  crystals  are  collected  on  a  filter  having  a 
diameter  of  3  or  4  centimeters  ;  the  crystals  remaining  in  the  flask  are 
loosened,  either  by  means  of  a  glass  rod,  or  by  shaking  with  a  piece  of 
platinum  foil,  and  are  also  transferred  to  the  filter,  where  the  morphia 
is  washed  with  10  grams  of  a  mixture  of  equal  bulks  of  ether  and 
alcohol.  The  filter  is  then  dried  by  pressing  with  bibulous  paper  and 
by  keeping  it  at  ioo°C.  for  half  an  hour;  is  allowed  to  regain  its 
hygroscopic  water  by  remaining  in  the  air  for  half  an  hour,  and  is  then 
weighed.  The  morphia  is  now  removed  from  the  filter,  and  the  latter 
again  weighed.  To  the  quantity  of  morphia  thus  determined  0*o88 
gram  is  added,  the  sum  being  the  total  amount  of  morphia  present  in  4 
grams  of  opium. — Archiv  d.  Pharm.^  Oct.,  1879,  p.  310. 
Solubility  of  Morphia  in  Alcohol  and  Chloroform. — Prof,  van 
der  Burg  finds  pure  morphia  soluble  in  absolute  alcohol  to  the  very  small 
extent  of  i  in  15,000.  It  is  soluble  in  150  parts  of  chloroform,  containing 
10  parts  alcohol ;  but  if  contaminated  with  narcotia,  which  is  very  soluble 
in  chloroform — of  course  much  less  of  the  solvent  is  required. — Pharm, 
Ztg.^  Nov.  8,  1879,  p.  696,  from  Pharm.  Weckhl. 
Chininum  crudum,  Chinium  and  Quinium,  are  the  different  names 
mentioned  by  Hager  under  which  a  crude,  blackish-brown  quinia  is 
found  in  the  German  market,  the  quinia  strength  of  which  is  equiva- 
lent to  60  per  cent,  of  that  in  quinia  sulphate,  while  its  cost  is  less  than 
one-seventh  of  the  puie  quinia  salt,  for  which  reason  it  is  particularly 
well  adapted  for  poor  patients. 
Chinetum  or  ^inetum  represents  the  impure  cinchona  bark  alkaloids  as 
obtained  from  the  bark  of  Cinchona  succirubra.  The  total  percentage 
of  quinia  and  quinidia  hydrates  often  amounts  to  40  per  cent.,  and 
that  of  cinchonidia  to  55  per  cent.  Chinetum  is  a  chamois-colored  or 
reddish-yellow  or  yellow  dry  powder,  scarcely  soluble  in  water,  but 
readily  so  in  alcohol.  Hager  thinks  that  the  quinia  value  in  chinetum 
is  equivalent  to  three  fourths  of  that  contained  in  quinia  sulphate,  which 
would  make  it  also  an  extraordinarily  cheap  and  good  substitute  for 
that  salt. — Pharm.  Centralh.^  Sept.  4,  1879,  p.  339. 
Determination  of  Alkaloids  in  Plants. — After  criticising  the  prin- 
cipal methods  now  in  use,  A.  Loesch  publishes  the  following  new 
