55  + 
Testmg  of  Mustard  Oil. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm^ 
Nov.,  1880. 
less  soluble  in  benzin  and  warm  water,  and  very  sparingly  soluble  in. 
cold  water.  It  melts  at  8o°C.,  and  its  composition  was  found  to  accord 
with  that  of  vanillin,  CgHgOg. 
The  vanillin  is  either  formed  through  the  influence  of  the  lime,  or 
liberated  by  that  agent  from  a  more  complicated  combination.  It  is 
also  possible  that  the  coloring  matter  plays  a  part  in  these  reactions, 
but  the  nature  of  this  substance  is  so  little  known  that  it  is  precluded 
from  consideration.  It  is  also  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Stammer,  who  has 
devoted  some  studv  to  this  subject,  that  the  cellular  tissue  takes  part  in, 
the  formation  of  the  vanillin. — Ibid. 
REMARKS  ON  THE  TESTING  OF  MUSTARD  OIL. 
By  F.  a.  FLiicKiGER. 
The  examination  of  a  specimen  of  mustard  oil,  adulterated  with, 
bisulphide  of  carbon,  which  was  performed  at  the  request  of  Schimmet 
&  Co.  in  Leipsic,  led  me  to  some  observations,  which  may  be  con- 
nected with  some  communications  of  Hager  ("  Centralhalle,"  1879,. 
No.  39),  on  the  subject  of  the  same  oil.    (See  also  page  547.) 
The  adulteration  was  to  such  an  extent,  that,  by  heating  the  oil  for 
one  day  in  a  water  bath  at  a  temperature  not  exceeding  80°,  nearly  one- 
fifth  of  the  oil  passed  over,  the  distillate  possessing  very  nearly  the 
specific  gravity  of  bisulphide  of  carbon,  and,  when  warmed  with  alcohol 
and  ammonia  furnished  very  quickly  the  sulphocyanide  of  ammonium^ 
which  gave  with  ferric  chloride  the  characteristic  deep  red  coloration. 
Treated  in  the  manner  indicated  in  my  Pharmaceutische  Chemie,'* 
p.  42,  with  alcohol,  caustic  potassa  and  ether,  the  distillate  above  men- 
tioned furnished  the  ethylxanthogenate  of  potassium,  which  was  recog,- 
nized  by  the  beautiful  yellow  copper  salt. 
The  liquid  extracted  from  the  mustard  oil  was,  therefore,  to  be  con- 
sidered as  bisulphide  of  carbon,  although  it  was  necessary  to  conduct 
the  distillation  at  a  temperature  above  47°,  in  order  to  obtain  approxi- 
mately the  entire  amount. 
The  great  mobility  of  sulphur  in  mustard  oil  has  been  known  for  a 
very  long  time,  as  may  be  seen,  e.  g.,  from  the  statements  to  be 
found  in  Gmelin's  "  Handbuch  der  organischen  Chemie,"  ii,  1852,  p.- 
216. 
It  suflices,  indeed,  to  warm  pure  mustard  oil  with  a  little  alcohol  and 
ammonia,  and  to  remove  the  excess  of  the  latter  by  heating  in  the 
