524  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  {Am'octu,ris^aruJ' 
answering  as  well  as  some  of  the  newer  antiseptics. — Pharm  Central- 
halle,  1892,  500. 
Sozal  is  aluminium  paraphenolsulphonate  obtained  by  either 
dissolving  aluminium  hydrate  in  paraphenolsulphonic  ,acid,  or  by 
double  decomposition  of  aluminium  sulphate  and  barium  para- 
phenolsulphonate. It  is  brought  upon  the  market  in  the  form  of 
crystalline  grains  of  weak  phenol  odor,  but  strongly  astringent 
taste;  easily  soluble  in  water,  glycerin  and  alcohol,  forming  per- 
manent solutions.  In  the  clinical  experiments  very  good  results 
were  obtained  by  its  use  as  an  antiseptic,  although  the  bacteriological 
experiments  were  found  to  contradict  this ;  attention  is  called  to 
the  case  of  iodoform  where  the  same  contradictory  status  exists. — 
Dr.  Schaerges,  Pharm.  Ztg.y  1892,  489. 
A  test  for  sugar  in  urine  depending  upon  the  formation  of  indigo- 
blue  is  proposed  by  G.  Hoppe-Seyler ;  the  test  can  be  applied 
directly  with  the  urine  since  the  albuminoid  and  coloring  principles 
do  not  interfere  (more  than  2  per  cent,  albumen,  however,  interferes, 
and  must  be  removed  by  precipitation  with  lead  acetate) ;  the  test 
is  carried  out  with  very  small  quantities  of  urine,  and  it  is  to  be 
regretted  that  the  quantity  of  sugar  cannot  be  titrated,  but  must  be 
approximated  from  the  intensity  of  the  blue  color.  The  examina- 
tion is  made  by  boiling  for  15  seconds  ten  drops  of  the  urine  with 
5  cc.  of  the  reagent  (05  gm.  ortho-nitrophenylpropiolic  acid  and  1 
gm.  sodium-hydrate  in  100  cc.  distilled  water);  if  the  test  becomes 
deep-blue  at  least  0-5  per  cent,  sugar  is  present  in  the  urine. 
Normal  urine  added  to  the  reagent  in  large  quantity  (1  cc.)  may 
produce  a  green  coloration,  but  a»  distinct  blue  coloration  is  not 
obtainable. — Ztschr.f  Physiol.  Chem.,  1892,  83. 
Semen  Paullinice  and  Pasta  Guar  ana. — Dr.  H.  Thorns  gives  the 
following  method  of  assay  for  these  substances  ;  the  method  is  a 
suitable  modification  of  Waage's  tea  assay :  An  intimate  mixture 
of  ro  grams  of  the  finely  powdered  seeds  (or  guarana)  and  2-65  grams 
recently  slaked  lime  is  mixed  with  100  gm.  water,  evaporated  in  the 
water-bath  to  60  gm.,  then  mixed  with  50  gm.  solution  of  subacetate  of 
lead  and  10  gm.  fine  sand  and  evaporation  continued  to  dryness  ;  the 
residue  is  extracted  in  a  Soxhlet  apparatus  with  chloroform;  after 
distilling  off  the  solvent  the  crude  caffeine  is  dissolved  in  warm 
water,  allowed  to  cool,  filtered  into  a  weighed  dish,  evaporated  to 
