Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Aug ,  1880. 
Chemical  Notes. 
temperature  in  a  mixture  of  equal  volumes  of  strong  sulphuric  and 
nitric  (sp.  gr.  1-4)  acids.  The  product  is  washed  and  treated  with  ether 
to  which  a  small  quantity  of  alcohol  has  been  added  ;  in  a  few  days  a 
gelatinous  mass  is  obtained,  which  is  poured  into  three  times  its  volume 
of  alcohol,  when  the  pentanitrate  separates  out,  leaving  the  lower 
nitrates  in  solution.  The  pentanitrate  can  also  be  obtained  by  dissolv- 
ing collodion-cotcon  in  nitric  acid  (sp.  gr.  1*4)  at  60°;  the  turbid 
solution  is  cooled  down  to  0°,  filtered  through  asbestos,  and  the  filtrate 
is  mixed  with  four  times  its  volufne  of  sulphuric  acid  (sp.  gr.  1*84), 
care  being  taken  to  keep  the  mixture  cool.  The  acid-liquid  is  then 
diluted  and  the  precipitated  pentanitrate  filtered  and  purified  by  solution 
in  alcoholic  ether  and  reprecipiiation  in  water.  This  compound  is 
insoluble  in  alcohol  and  in  ether,  but  dissolves  in  ether-alcohol,  in  acetic 
acid  and  in  ethyl  acetate^ 
Cellulose  tetr a- 2inA  tri  niirates^  C^.-^W^^Oj^^O.^)^^  and  Cj2Hj707(N03)3, 
have  not  yet  been  obtained  in  the  pure  state.  The  tetranitrate  is 
insoluble  in  alcohol  and  in  ether,  but  dissolves  in  methyl  alcohol^  ethyl 
acetate,  alcoholic  ether  a  id  in  a  mixture  of  acetic  acid  and  alcohol,  or 
acetic  acid  and  ether.  The  trinitrate  dissolves  freely  in  ethyj-acetate, 
methyl  alcohol  and  boiling  acetic  acid.  It  is  slowly  dissolved  by  abso- 
lute alcohol  and  the  solution  becomes  turbid  on  the  addition  of  ether  in 
excess. 
Cellulose  dmitrate^  Q^^JA^f^^y^O^^.^  is  formed  by  the  action  of  ammonia 
or  potash  on  the  higher  nitrate.  It  is  also  prepared  by  adding  alcoholic 
potash  to  collodion  ;  the  product  is  diluted  with  water  and  neutralized 
with  acetic  acid,  when  the  dinitrate  is  precipitated.  After  being  dis- 
solved in  alcoholic  ether,  it  forms  a  yellowish-white  powder  which 
explodes  at  175°.  It  is  soluble  in  alcoholic  ether,  absolute  alcohol, 
methyl  alcohol,  acetic  acid,  ethyl  a£etate_and  also  in  potash,  but  with 
partial  decomposition.  The  solution  in  alcoholic  ether  deposits  an 
opaque  film  on  evaporation.  The  dinitrate  appears  to  form  compounds 
with  alkalies,  which  are  insoluble  in  alcoholic  ether,  but  dissolves  in 
water.  The  cellulose  mononitrate  could  not  be  obtained. — Ber.  der 
Chem.  Ges.^  xiii,  p.  169. 
On  the  Mydriatic  Character  of  the  'Tropeins  or  Artificial  Alkaloids. — We 
have  noticed  several  times  the  work  of  Ladenburg  on  these  interesting 
compounds  (this  journal,  current  vol.,  pp.  148,  198  and  367).  Of  the 
several  tropeins,  or  compounds  of  tropin  with  acid  radicals,  salicyl- 
tropein  did  not  dilate  the  pupil  of  the  eye  at  all  j  benzoyl-tropein  did  have 
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