572  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  {Am-i^.jffiarm; 
syrup  of  codeine  the  reagent  gives  a  precipitate,  or  with  syrup  of 
o-20  gm.  to  the  kilo  of  syrup  an  opalescence  appears,  while  with 
morphine  syrup,  even  of  the  strength  of  1-25  gm.  hydrochloride  to 
the  kilo  of  syrup,  no  opalescence  appears.  lodo-potassium  iodide 
may  be  substituted  for  Tanret's  reagent  and  yields  good  results. 
Presence  of  strychnine  in  the  brain. — In  1882  Gay,  Schlagden- 
hauffen  and  Gamier  found  strychnine  in  the  brain  of  a  subject 
having  died  from  a  large  dose  of  that  alkaloid.  Grandval  and  Lajoux 
have  recently  made  a  like  observation  (Rep.  de  P/iar.,  July,  1892)  in 
a  case  of  slow  poisoning,  in  which  only  42  mgm.  of  strychnine 
could  be  obtained  from  the  stomach.  It  appears,  therefore,  that 
strychnine  will  be  found  in  the  brain  after  large  or  small  doses  have 
been  taken,  and  after  death  has  taken  place,  either  slowly  or 
rapidly. 
Detection  of  copper  sulphate  in  iron  sulphate. — According  to  Van- 
denput  (Journ.  de  Pharm.  d'  Anvers  ;  Monit.de  Pharm.,  1892,  1107) 
copper  cannot  be  detected  in  sulphate  of  iron  by  means  of  ammonia 
except  when  present  in  rather  large  proportion.  When  present 
in  small  quantities  the  ammonia  does  not  form  the  blue  copper 
solution.  In  the  latter  case  the  author  dissolves  the  precipitate  in 
nitric  acid  and  places  in  the  solution  a  bright  piece  of  iron  on 
which  the  copper  when  present  is  deposited. 
Molybdate  of  ammonium  as  reagent. — F.  Gigli  (Boll.  clwn.  farm., 
xxxi,  1892,  235,  through  Rep.  de  Pharm.,  1892,  315)  uses  the  fol- 
lowing solutions  for  preparing  the  reagent  for  phosphoric  acid 
extemporaneously.  15  gm.  of  commercial  ammonium  molybdate 
are  dissolved  in  the  minimum  amount  of  ammonia  and  the  solution 
diluted  with  distilled  water  to  100  cc.  The  second  solution  is  nitric 
acid,  sp.  gr.  I- r 85,  containing  30  per  cent  of  HN03.  The  solutions 
are  mixed  when  needed,  1  cc.  of  the  molybdate  solution  being 
added  to  2  or  3  cc.  dilute  nitric  acid,  and  to  this  the  liquid  to  be 
tested.  In  presence  of  phosphoric  acid  a  lemon-yellow  precipitate 
rapidly  appears  without  the  application  of  heat,  one  condition  being 
that  the  testing  be  carried  on  in  a  slightly  acid  solution. 
Volumetric  determination  of  phosphoric  acid. — M.  Spica  (Gazz. 
chhn.  ital.,  1892,  117,  through  Rcp.de  Pharm.,  1892,  3 16),  estimates 
the  phosphoric  acid  by  means  of  ferric  phosphate,  which  is  precipi- 
tated completely  in  neutral  solution.    The  reagent  is  a  solution  of 
