314  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  {AmjuZa!9h2arm* 
(Bollet.  farm.  Milano,  through  your,  de  Phar.,  1892,  95)  obtained 
reactions  which  induced  them  to  investigate  the  influence  of  phe- 
nacetin  upon  some  of  the  tests  for  quinine.  They  arrived  at  the  fol- 
lowing facts  :  (1)  Phenacetin  prevents  the  fluorescence  of  quinine 
salts  in  acid  solution;  (2)  chlorine  water  produces  an  azure  blue 
color  in  a  solution  of  a  mixture  of  these  bodies  ;  (3)  vapors  of  bro- 
mine produce  in  a  slightly  ammoniacal  solution  a  characteristic 
green  color;  (4)  bromine  vapor  produces  in  a  dilute  solution  only 
a  yellow  color,  excess  of  bromine  forms  in  a  concentrated  solution  a 
yellowish  precipitate  which  dissolves  with  an  emerald  green  color 
in  ammonia.  (5)  To  obtain  the  characteristic  green  color  spoken  of 
under  3,  the  authors  proceed  as  follows  :  Bromine  vapor  is  led 
through  a  solution  until  a  precipitate  begins  to  form,  at  which  time 
ammonia  water  is  added  drop  by  drop.  The  green  color  changes 
slowly  to  a  violet.  If  the  liquid  is  then  shaken  with  ether,  the 
mixture  separates  into  two  layers,  the  upper  being  bluish  and  the 
lower  green. 
Light  and  pure  Quinine  Sulphate. — P.  Carles  (Bullet.  Soc.  Chim.y 
Feb.  20,  1892)  makes  use  of  ammonium  sulphate  in  preparing  a 
light  sulphate  of  quinine  in  the  pure  state.  He  mentions  two 
methods  : 
(1)  Quinine  sulphate  is  dissolved  in  30  parts  of  boiling  water,  the 
heat  removed  and  ammonium  sulphate  in  large  crystals  put  into  the 
solution.  The  liquid  is  then  stirred  to  dissolve  the  ammonium  sul- 
phate and  also  to  disseminate  the  first  feathery  crystals  through  the 
liquid.  It  is  then  set  aside  and  the  operations  ended  in  the  usual 
manner.  (2)  It  is  preferable  to  saturate,  at  a  temperature  of  500  or 
6o°  C,  a  volume  of  water — not  exceeding  one-tenth  the  capacity  of 
the  crystallizing  vessel — with  pure  quinine  sulphate  ;  after  removing 
the  liquid  from  the  fire,  the  desirable  quantity  of  ammonium  sul- 
phate in  crystals  is  added  with  stirring,  and  the  crystalline  pulp 
which  forms  is  well  mixed  in  a  large  vessel  until,  in  a  few  minutes, 
it  becomes  firm,  when  it  is  allowed  to  cool  and  finished  in  the  usual 
manner.  The  best  results  are  obtained  by  using  4  gm.  of  am- 
monium sulphate  to  the  litre  of  solution. 
Preparation  of  Acetylene  from  Bromoform. — A  steady  stream  of 
acetylene  gas  is  obtained,  according  to  P.  Cazeneuve  (Compt. 
rend.,  cxiii,  1054),  by  treating  bromoform  20  grp.  with  powdered 
zinc  80  gm.  and  2  per  cent,  aqueous  cupric  chloride.    The  reaction 
