250  Gum-Hogg.  {""'^i^r.^o'™- 
most  layer,  and  having  introduced  the  heavier  liquid  into  a  clean  flaslc 
containing  a  few  fragments  of  chloride  of  calcium,  redistil  it. 
Bromide  of  ethyl  is  a  colorless,  very  volatile  liquid,  not  inflammable^, 
having  an  agreeable  odor,  and  a  hot,  saccharme  taste.  Its  specific 
gravity  is  1*420.  It  boils  at  40°C.  (i04°F.).  It  is  very  sparingly 
soluble  in  water,  freely  soluble  in  strong  alcohol  and  ether.  When  a 
small  portion  is  evaporated  from  a  porcelain  plate  by  causing  it  to  flour 
to  and  fro  over  the  surface,  little  or  no  foreign  odor  is  yielded  as  the 
last  portions  pass  off,  and  the  plate  is  covered  with  a  slight  deposit  of 
moisture. 
GUM-HOGG. 
By  Chas.  L.  Mitchell,  Ph.G.,  M.D. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meetings  April  -zoth. 
Under  the  above  title  a  peculiar  form  of  gum  is  described  in  the  U^ 
S.  Dispensatory,  p.  1664  ;  it  was  obtained  from  the  establishment  of 
Messrs.  J.  B.  Lippincott  &  Co.,  where  it  was  used  in  one  of  the  pro- 
cesses for  the  manufacture  of  books.  As  described  by  Dr.  Wood,  "it 
is  in  lumps  of  various  sizes,  from  that  of  a  chestnut  to  that  of  a  wal- 
nut or  larger,  of  an  extremely  irregular  shape,  often  much  contorted^ 
appearing  frequently  as  if  consisting  of  several  pieces  which  had  become 
agglutinated  in  their  soft  state,  translucent  and  nearly  colorless,  with  a 
slight  reddish-yellow  tint  in  some  places,  of  a  rather  dull  though  some- 
what shining  surface,  very  hard,  brittle,  with  a  glassy  fracture,  inodor- 
ous and  nearly  or  quite  tasteless.  With  water  it  swells  to  a  soft  trans- 
parent mass,  which  retains  this  condition  long  without  change,  and  if 
now  stirred,  instead  of  forming  a  consistent  mucilage,  breaks  up  inta 
minute,  irregular,  transparent  fragments,  which  retain  this  form 
indefinitely." 
Chemically  examined  by  Prof.  Wm.  Procter,  Jr.,  it  was  found  to  be 
only  very  slightly  soluble  in  water,  both  cold  and  hot,  the  solution  giv- 
ing a  precipitate  with  sol.  subacetate  lead,  but  none  with  oxalate  of 
ammonium,  in  the  latter  respect  differing  from  gum  arable.  The 
insoluble  portion  was  dissolved  by  strong  sulphuric  acid,  and  was  con- 
verted by  boiling  dilute  sulphuric  acid  into  a  soluble  gum.  He  con- 
sidered the  insoluble  substance  to  be  bassorin,  the  insoluble  constituent 
of  tragacanth,  and  the  gum  itself  probably  the  same  as  Bassora  gum. 
The  gum  was  obtained  from  the  East  Indies,  but  its  botanical  source 
was'unknown. 
