320  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals,  {^"^i^ZT-^^""' 
mended  several  years  ago  by  Galignani,  whose  statements  were  con- 
tradicted by  many  Italian  physicians,  who  erroneously  used  the  ordi- 
nary quinia  muriate.  Dr.  Vitali  now  explains  the  difference  between 
the  two  salts,  and  again  recommends  the  bimuriate,  which  he  prepares 
by  mutual  decomposition  between  quinia  bisulphate  and  barium  chloride^ 
obtaining  it  in  not  crystalline  yellowish-white  masses,  which  afford  a 
snow-white  powder.  The  salt  thus  obtained  contains  8i'6i  per  cent, 
of  quinia,  which  is  more  than  that  contained  in  the  officinal  sulphate  and 
in  bisulphate,  the  former  containing  74*33  and  the  latter  59*14  per  cent. 
Quinia  bimuriate  is  prepared  most  readily  by  accurately  precipitating  a 
solution  of  quinia  bisulphate  with  barium  chloride,  filtering  and  evap- 
orating to  dryness. — Pharm.  Zig.^  March  6,  1880,  p.  140,  from  Bulle- 
t'lno  Farmaceut'icQ  di  Milam. 
The  Chemical  Constitution  of  Picrotoxin,  the  poisonous  consti- 
tuent of  Cocculus  indicus,  was  again  studied  by  L.  Barth  and  M. 
Kretschy,  who  found  that  the  picrotoxin  is  a  mixture  of  three  consti- 
tuents, the  two  principal  ones  of  which  differ  in  the  percentage  of  C 
to  the  extent  of  about  4  per  cent.,  and  exist  in  varying  relative  pro- 
portion, which  explains  the  different  results  obtained  by  analytical 
chemists.  The  constituent  for  which  the  name  of  picrotoxin  is  retained 
contains  the  most  C,  has  the  formula  C^jHjgOjj,  and  is  exceedingly 
bitter  and  very  poisonous.  The  second  constituent  has  the  formula 
C2-H30O12,  is  very  bitter,  not  poisonous,  and  is  denominated  picrotin.. 
But  a  very  small  percentage  (about  2  per  cent.)  of  the  third  constituent 
is  present ;  it  is  not  bitter,  not  poisonous,  and  is  called  anamirtin  by  the 
authors. — Pharm.  Centralh..^  March  11,  1880,  p.  91,  from  Chem. 
Centralhl.^  from  Wien.  An%. 
Quaiac  Resin  as  a  Reagent  for  Copper. — Schoenbein  found  that 
copper  salts  in  the  presence  of  cyanides  yield  a  blue  coloration  with 
quaiac,  and  Purgotti  discovered  that  the  ferrocyanides,  nitroprussides^ 
sulphocyanates,  cyanates,  and  also  the  alkaline  chlorides,  yield  the  same 
reaction  as  the  cyanides,  and  utilized  this  discovery  as  a  test  for  copper^ 
proceeding  as  follows:  The  solution,  which  ought  not  to  contain  any 
substances  which  (like  ferric  salts)  yield  a  blue  coloration  with  quaiac,, 
is  mixed  with  the  solution  of  an  alkaline  chloride,  and  is  slowly  poured 
into  a  test-tube  containing  an  alcoholic  solution  of  quaiac.  If  but  the 
slightest  trace  of  copper  is  present  a  blue  coloration  is  visible  at  the 
point  of  contact  of  the  two  liquids,  while,  in  case  much  copper  is  pres- 
ent, the  whole  mixture  turns  blue  when  shaken.    Thus  a  distinct  reac- 
