Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct.,  1880. 
Chemical  Notes, 
495 
parent  paste  results.  When  the  temperature  is  raised  to  lyo^C.  the 
mass  becomes  quite  fluid  again  and  the  starch  is  entirely  dissolved.  At 
a  temperature  of  igo^C,  when  the  glycerin  begins  to  escape  in  thick 
fumes,  the  starch  is  almost  completely  changed  into  the  soluble  modi- 
fication. If  this  glycerin  solution,  when  cold,  be  poured  into  water, 
what  unchanged  starch  remains  separates  as  paste  and  can  be  filtered  off 
from  the  solution  of  the  other  modification.  From  this  filtrate  strong 
alcohol  will  precipitate  the  soluble  starch.  The  author  finds  that  while 
potato-starch  is  changed  quite  easily  into  the  soluble  modification  ; 
wheat-starch  requires  an  hour's  heating  to  180  to  IQO^C,  and  rice-starch 
even  at  the  end  of  that  time  is  only  incompletely  changed. — Ber.  der 
Chem.  Ges  ,  xiii,  p.  1395. 
Action  of  Zinc  Chloride  upon  Monobromated  Camphor. — Schiff^  finds  that 
if  a  mixture  of  zinc  chloride  and  bromated  camphor  be  heated  to  about 
150  to  i6o°C.  in  an  oil-bath  streams  of  hydrogen  bromide  escape,  and 
if  after  the  reaction  is  ended  the  mixture  be  distilled  over  the  naked 
flame  a  fluid  is  obtained,  which  consists  chiefly  of  two  substances — a 
hydrocarbon  and  a  phenol.  These  can  be  easily  separated  by  shaking 
with  potash  solution.  The  hydrocarbon  boils  at  I37*6°C.,  and  analysis 
shows  it  to  be  a  hexahydro-xylol,  CgH^g. 
The  phenol  possesses  the  formula  C^oHj^O  and  is  a  colorless  viscid 
fluid.     It  boils  at  231  to  233°C.,  and  appears  to  be  a  liquid  thymol  and 
jndeed  the  same  as  that  obtained  by  Kekule  by  the  action  of  iodine  upon 
camphor.    It  is  formed  according  to  the  following  reaction  : 
C.„  H,,  BrO  -  HBr  =  H,,0 
Bromated  camphor.  Thymol. 
— Ibid.^  p.  1407. 
Investigation  of  Picrotoxin  [from  Menispermum  cocculus). — Barth  and 
Kretschy  have  separated  by  fractional  crystallization  from  benzol  and 
afterwards  from  water  three  constituents  of  picrotoxin,  viz.  :  Picrotoxin, 
picrotin  and  anamirtin,  and  in  the  relative  proportions  of  32  :  66  :  2. 
Picrotoxm  has  a  fusing-pomt  20i°C.,  reduces  silver  nitrate,  especially 
on  addition  of  ammonia  and  Fehling's  solution,  when  heated.  It  is 
exceptionally  bitter  and  very  poisonous.  The  result  of  numerous 
analyses  gives  as  its  formula  Cj-H^gO -I-H2O.  Picrotin  is  more  difficultly 
soluble  in  benzol,  fuses  at  250  to  25i°C.  ;  shows  nearly  the  same  pro- 
perties, but  is  not  poisonous.  Its  composition  is  02.593^0^2,  with  vary- 
ing amount  of  water  of  crystallization.  Anamirtin  is  found  in  the 
mother-liquors  of  the  pure  picrotoxin  when  ci  vstallized  out  of  water.  It 
