468 
Chemical  Notes. 
f  \m.  Jour,  i^harro. 
t      Sept.,  1880 
a  flocculent  mass  amounting  to  1*9  per  cent..  Alcohol  precipitates 
gelose,  but  it  can  not  be  obtained  pure  in  this  manner,  as  the  precipitate 
contains  some  ash.  —  Compt.  Rend.^  No  90,  pp.  924-926. 
Absorption  of  Salicylic  Acid  by  Wood. — Kolbe  shows  by  a  series  of 
experiments  that  drinking  water  to  which  salicylic  acid  has  been  added 
in  quantity  of  '05  gram  to  0*2  gram  per  liter  when  kept  in  wooden 
casks,  not  coated  on  the  interior  with  pitch,  becomes  spoiled  in  the 
course  of  several  months,  owing  to  the  complete  absorption  of  the 
salicylic  acid  by  the  wood  tissue.  The  salicylic  acid,  it  is  true,  cannot 
be  detected  in  the  woody  tissue  and  is  therefore  apparently  decomposed. 
The  salicylic  acid  is  similarly  withdrawn  from  wine  kept  for  a  time  in 
wooden  casks. — Jour.f.  pr.  Chem..^  No.  21,  p.  443. 
Xanthogenic  Acid  a  Precipitant  for  Albuminoids. — The  preserving  and 
antiseptic  properties  of  carbon  bisulphide  and  xanthogenic  acid  now 
definitely  established  appear,  according  to  Ph.  Zoller,  to  stand  in  a 
fixed  connection  with  their  behavior  towards  albuminoids.  In  fact 
xanthogenic  acid  proves  to  be  a  good  precipitant  for  these  latter.  5  tO' 
10  drops  of  a  10  per  cent,  potassium  xanthogenate  solution  added  to 
200  cc.  of  freshly  pressed  grape  juice  not  only  hinder  all  fermentation, 
but  through  the  influence  of"  the  xanthogenic  acid,  liberated  by  the 
vegetable  acids  of  the  juice,  all  the  protein  material  precipitates  out. 
This  settles  completely  and  the  clear  supernatant  fluid,  while  contain- 
ing the  sugar  in  nearly  unchanged  amount,  contains  only  traces  of 
nitrogenous  compounds.  75  cc.  yielded  on  making  a  nitrogen  deter- 
mination no  quantitative  result.  The  author  is  still  engaged  in  study- 
ing the  character  of  the  reaction. — Ber.  der  Chem.  Ges.^  vol.  xiii,  p.  1064^ 
Santonin  contaminated  with  Strychnia. — Strychnia  is  stated  to  be  a 
common  impurity  in  commercial  samples  of  santonin.  Forquate  Gigli 
recommends  for  its  detection,  in  preference  to  Fllickiger's  method,  the 
following  process  :  i  gram  of  the  sample  is  placed  in  a  small  beaker, 
covered  with  a  little  distilled  water  and  acidulated  with  a  few  drops  of 
sulphuric  acid.  On  agitating  with  a  glass  rod  the  strychnia  dissolves,, 
while  the  santonin  remains  insoluble  The  liquid  is  filtered,  the  residue 
washed  with  a  little  water  and  the  washing  added  to  the  filtrate,  which 
is  then  distributed  in  several  test-glasses  and  examined  for  strychnia  by 
means  of  the  usual  reagents. — Chem.  News.,  June  18,  1880,  p.  283. 
