Am'oct!;'i8P92arm"}    British  Pharmaceutical  Conference.  545 
Mr.  T.  R.  Carswell  dealt  at  great  length  with  the  action  of  iodine  on  phenol 
in  alkaline  solutions  under  various  conditions,  and  specially  referred  to  the 
determination  of  this  substance  volumetrically. 
Spurious  Ipecacuanha. —Mr.  T.  H.  Wardleworth's  paper  described Ionidium 
Ipecacuanha,  and  compared  its  structure  with  that  of  the  root  of  genuine 
ipecacuanha. 
Essence  of  Lemon— -Mr.  Arthur  A.  Barrett  described  the  manufacture  of 
this  essential  oil  as  it  is  carried  on  in  Sicily.  He  pointed  out  in  the  first  place 
that  the  statement  to  be  found  in  most  books  as  to  the  use  of  the  ecuelle  for 
this  purpose  is  incorrect  at  the  present  time.  The  sponge  process  is  now 
generally  adopted  in  Sicily.  In  regard  to  the  quality  of  the  essential  oil,  it 
appears  from  Mr.  Barrett's  account  that  considerable  differences  may  exist 
when  the  purity  of  the  oiLis  undoubted,  and  that  much  depends  on  the  condi- 
tion of  the  fruit  used  and  the  time  when  the  oil  is  made.  Adulteration  with 
turpentine,  specially  refined  for  that  purpose,  appears  to  be  frequently  prac- 
tised, and  to  a  very  large  extent.  According  to  Mr.  Barrett,  English  wholesale 
druggists  are  supposed  to  buy  oil  of  low  quality,  the  greater  part  of  which  is 
said  to  go  to  London,  Manchester  and  Glasgow.  The  addition  of  turpentine  is 
said  to  be  secretly  practised  by  the  workmen  engaged  in  the  extraction  of  the 
oil  ;  so  that  it  is  difficult  for  manufacturers  to  know  whether  the  oil  they  make 
is  really  pure.  The  methods  in  use  for  testing  the  quality  of  lemon  oil  appear 
to  be  extremely  crude,  and  to  consist  chiefly  in  reliance  upon  the  sense  of 
smell. 
Concentrated  Oil  of  Lemon.— -Mr.  A.  A.  Barrett  has  for  some  time  been 
directing  his  attention  to  the  separation  of  that  portion  of  lemon  oil  to  which 
the  flavor  is  due  from  the  terpene  with  which  it  is  naturally  associated.  As  in 
the  case  of  many  other  essential  oils,  the  terpene  constituting  the  chief  bulk 
of  lemon  oil  is  comparatively  destitute  of  taste  and  odor.  The  characteristic 
taste  of  the  essential  oil  of  lemon  belongs  to  a  small  proportion  of  another 
body  which  has  a  higher  boiling  point  than  the  terpene,  and  also  a  higher 
specific  gravity  than  ordinary  lemon  oil.  '  Mr.  Barrett  does  not  give  any 
information  as  to  the  chemical  nature  of  the  concentrated  lemon  oil,  nor  does 
he  state  how  it  is  prepared,  though  it  may  be  assumed  that  the  method  adopted 
is  careful  fractional  distillation.  The  advantages  of  the  article  are  said  to  lie 
mainly  in  its  ready  solubility  in  weak  spirit  and  its  greater  suitability  as  a 
flavoring  material  in  the  manufacture  of  aerated  beverages.  Mr.  Barrett 
points  out  that  the  specific  gravity  of  the  concentrated  oil  is  its  most  important  ✓ 
characteristic.  It  should  not  be  less  than  '900  if  the  whole  of  the  terpene 
has  been  removed. 
Myrabolanes. — Mr.  A.  C.  Stark's  paper  dealt  with  the  proximate  analysis  of 
commercial  myrabolanes. 
Tomatoes. — Mr.  Frederick  Davis  dealt  with  the  qualitative  analysis  of  the 
tomato  [Lycopersicon  esculentum). 
After  the  conclusion  of  the  papers  the  President  presented  the  books  given 
in  accordance  with  the  Bell  and  Hills  bequest,  and  the  two  volumes  given  by 
Mr.  Thomas  Hanbury,  Mr.  Laidlaw  Ewing  acknowledging  these  gifts  in  an 
appropriate  speech.  The  Formulary  Committee  was  reappointed,  and,  as  a 
result  of  the  motion  of  which  Mr.  Payne  gave  notice  last  year,  it  was  decided 
that  in  future  the  practice  of  meeting  at  the  same  place  and  time  as  the  British 
