"""N-lvTxfso""-}  Chemical  Notes.  549 
apophyllenic  acid.  The  conditions  of  its  formation  and  its  compo- 
sition were  not .  determined,  however.  It- is  difficultly  soluble  in  cold, 
more  readily  soluble  in  hot  water,  insoluble  in  alcohol  and  ether.  It 
fuses,  with  partial  decomposition,  at  241°  to  242°C.  An  analysis 
gave  figures  corresponding  to  CgH^NO^.  On  strong  heating,  it 
decomposes,  giving  a  pyridinic  odor.  Heated  with  strong  hydrochloric 
acid,  in  sealed  tubes,  to  240°  to  250°C.,  for  two  to  three  hours,  it  is 
•decomposed,  yielding  the  methyl  group  to  the  hydrochloric  acid,  and 
there  remains  a  crystallizable  acid,  QH^NO^.  A  study  of  the  salt 
of  this  acid  shows  it  to  be  identical  with  the  dicarbopyridinic  acid 
of  HoogewerfF  and  Van  Drop  (this  journal,  Aug.,  1879,  p.  397)  or 
the  cinchomeronic  acid  of  Weidel  (this  journal,  loc.  cit.)  The  apo- 
iphyllenic  acid  is  simply  the  acid  methyl  ether  of  this  dibasic  acid.  A 
pyridin  derivative  is  therefore  fouud  among  the  decomposition  products 
of  an  opium  alkaloid,  which  makes  it  probable  that  the  opium  alkaloids, 
equally  with  the  alkaloids  of  the  cinchona  bark,  are  to  be  considered  as 
pyridin  or  chinolin  derivatives. — Ibid.^  xiii,  p.  1635. 
On  the  Officinal  ^uinia  Test  of  the  German  Pharmacopoeia. — O  Hesse 
,publishes  a  criticism  of  Kerner's  sulphate  of  quinia  test  (see  this  journal, 
1880,  p.  423,  and  1862,  p.  417),  now  the  officinal  German  one.  Accord- 
ing to  this  test,  if  a  clear  solution  remain  after  the  addition  of  ammonia 
water,  the  quinia  is  practically  free  from  cinchonidia  sulphate.  Kerner 
recently  claimed  to  have  improved  this  test  so  that  -^-^  per  cent,  of  cin- 
chonidia sulphate  could  be  detected.  This  was  to  be  done  by  adding 
ammonia  solution  in  amount  insufficient  to  dissolve  the  separated  alka- 
loids, and  then  to  determine  volumetrically  the  amount  of  ammonia  solu- 
tion necessary  for  their  complete  solution,  Hesse  says  that  this  test  is 
worthless,  inasmuch  as  cinchonidia  sulphate,  freshly  precipitated,  dis- 
-solves  more  readily  in  ammonia  solution  than  quinia  itself.  Later,  it  is 
true,  follows  a  separation  out  of  crystallized  cinchonidia  sulphate,  while 
the  ammoniacal  quinia  solution  remains  clear.  As  the  cinchonidia  sul- 
|)hate  becomes  an  impurity  in  quinia  sulphate,  not  by  designed  admixture, 
but  because  of  its  crystallization,  so  it  is  in  a  form  in  which  it  escapes 
to  a  greater  or  less  degree  detection  by  the  Kerner  test.  Hesse  then 
gives  a  table  showing  that  in  some  preparations  as  much  as  10  per  cent, 
•cinchonidia  sulphate  may  be  present,  and  yet  a  clear  solution  may  result. 
He  alsj  considers  that  the  amount  of  water  of  crystallization  may  indi- 
•cate  whether  or  not  a  sample  of  quinia  sulphate  is  contaminated  with 
cinchonidia  sulphate.  Pure  sulphate  of  quinia,  which  is  not  effloresced, 
