Am'sipt.j892?rm'}  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  461 
sistency,  are  to  be  preferred.  For  these  purposes  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  soften  the  soaps  on  a  water-bath  and  then  incorporate  the 
other  ingredients. — Oesterr.  Ztschr.f  Pharm.,  1892,  354  and  372. 
Ferrum  reductum. — An  examination  of  commercial  samples 
failing  to  find  a  single  specimen  meeting  the  requirements  of  the 
Pharm.  Austr.  (98  8  per  cent.  Fe)  caused  an  inquiry  to  be  made  re- 
garding the  difficulty.  It  was  found  that  if  the  hydrogen,  generated 
from  zinc  and  sulphuric  acid,  was  not  purified  before  acting  upon 
the  heated  ferric  oxide,  three  hours'  exposure  produced  a  preparation 
of  grayish  black  color  which  dissolved  in  dilute  sulphuric  acid  only 
after  prolonged  boiling,  and  was  found  to  contain  only  58  per  cent. 
Fe.  By  purifying  the  hydrogen,  passing  it  successively  through  con- 
centrated permanganate  of  potassium  solution,  lead  acetate  solution, 
sulphuric  acid,  and  finally  over  fused  calcium  chloride,  three  hours' 
exposure  sufficed  to  reduce  the  ferric  oxide  and  there  was  obtained  a 
dark  gray  powder,  readily  and  completely  soluble  in  dilute  sulphuric 
acid  without  heat  and  containing  99-68  per  cent.  Fe.  It  appears, 
therefore,  that  a  satisfactory  product  necessitates  the  use  of  purified 
hydrogen. — T.  Appel,  Oesterr.  Ztschr.f.  Pharm.,  1892,  395. 
Cantharidin  and  cantharidal  cerate. — The  manufacture  of  can- 
tharidin  by  the  following  improved  process  has  given  good  results 
during  the  past  eleven  years;  by  it  the  free  and  combined  can- 
tharidin is  extracted  ;  1000  0  moderately-fine  powdered  cantharides 
are  macerated  in  the  cold  for  two  days  with  a  mixture  of  200 
sulphuric  acid  (sp.  gr.  1-838)  and  1500-0  acetic  ether  (sp.  gr.  0-902); 
after  adding  40  0  barium  carbonate  the  mixture  is  exhausted  with 
acetic  ether  in  an  extraction  apparatus.  The  solvent  is  distilled  off, 
and  the  residue  consisting  of  resin,  fat  and  cantharidin  is  allowed  to 
stand  eight  days  to  induce  crystallization  of  the  cantharidin  ;  200  0 
petroleum-ether  (sp.  gr.  0-740)  are  then  added  and  gentle  heat  is 
applied  to  facilitate  solution  of  the  fat ;  the  solution  is  filtered  off, 
the  cantharidin  washed  with  petroleum-ether  and  recrystallized 
from  90  per  cent,  alcohol.  The  product  is  almost  white  and  suffi- 
ciently pure  for  the  manufacture  of  plasters,  etc.;  should  the  can- 
tharidin be  needed  purer  for  other  purposes,  it  must  be  recrystal- 
lized from  acetic  ether  with  the  addition  of  animal  charcoal.  The 
following  yields  have  been  obtained:  Lytta  vesicatoria,  0-3-0-45 
per  cent.;  Epicauta  Gorrhami  (a  Japanese  beetldiL  o  45  per  cent., 
Mylabris  Cichorii,  0-9-1-3  per  cent. 
