Chemical  Notes. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct ,  1880. 
has  a  neutral  reaction,  does  not  reduce  ammoniacal  silver  solution,  nor 
Fehling's  copper  solution,  has  almost  ho  bitter  taste  and  is  not  poi- 
sonous. The  analyses  correspond  nearly  to  the  formula  — 
Ibid.^  p.  1243. 
Resin  from  Rosewood. — Terreil  and  WolfF  have  studied  the  resin  from 
rosewood.  It  has  a  brilliant  black  color  with  a  brown  reflection,  a 
vitreous  fracture  and  a  balsamic  odor;  its  sp.  gr.  at  I5°C.  is  1*2662, 
and  it  melts  at  Qs'^C.  It  dissolves  in  all  proportions  in  alcohol,  but  is 
less  soluble  in  ether,  chloroform  and  carbon  disulphide  and  is  insoluble 
in  water. 
Soda  and  potash  dissolve  the  resin,  forming  brown-colored  solution**,, 
from  which  it  is  again  separated  in  brown  flakes  on  adding  an  acid  ;  on 
boiling  the  solution  an  odor  resembling  benzaldehyde  and  hawthorn  is 
evolved.  Sulphuric  acid  also  dissolves  the  resin  with  a  blood-red  color  ; 
by  adding  water  the  resin  is  precipitated  without  alteration.  When 
treated  with  nitric  acid  it  yields  an  acid  of  au  orange  color,  crystallizing 
in  needles.  On  distillation  white  vapors  are  evolved  at  first,  having  an 
odor  resembling  those  from  gum-benzoin,  but  containing  no  benzoic 
acid,  then  an  essential  oil  passes  over  and  finally  tarry  matters.  Its 
analysis  corresponds  with  the  formula  Cg^H^iOg;  it  forms  salts  with 
lead  and  barium.  By  extracting  other  colored  woods,  such  as  amaranth 
wood,  iron  wood,  ebony,  etc.,  with  alcohol,  resins  resembling  that  from, 
rosewood  are  obtained,  but  not  in  so  large  a  proportion  ;  rosewood 
yields  35  per  cent,  of  its  weight  of  resin. — Jour.  Cheyn.  Soc.^  August,. 
P-  559- 
Technical  Chemistry. — False  Vermilion. — A  German  paper  cautions 
the  public  against  a  false  vermilion  placed  extensively  on  the  market, 
which  may  be  detected  as  follows  :  The  false  vermilion  has  too  bright  and 
brilliant  a  color,  and  consists  chiefly  of  red  lead  with  a  very  small  per- 
centage of  eosine.  This  last  color  may  be  extracted  by  means  of  strong 
alcohol  and  the  red  lead  remains. — Jour,  of  App.  Science.^  August  2,  p. 
123. 
A  New  Substitute  for  Ivory^  etc. — A  new  substitute  for  ivory,  coral, 
leather,  caoutchouc,  etc.,  lately  patented  in  England  under  the  name 
of  vegetaline,  is  prepared  as  follows  :  Cellulose  (woody  fibre)  from  any 
source  whatever  is  treated  with  sulphuric  acid  of  58°B.  (=sp.  gr.  i  '6j6)y 
at  I5°C.  (=59°F.),  ihen  washed  with  water  to  remove  exce>s  of  acid, 
dried  and  converted  into  a  fine  powder.  This  is  mixed  with  resin  soap  in 
a  mortar,and  the  soda  of  the  soap  is  removed  by  treatment  with  sulphate 
