Am\if°S'  So"™' }       Formaldehyde  and  Cane  Sugar.  395 
In  addition  to  this,  the  writer  also  had  ample  confirmation  of 
the  fact,  which  Ramsay  reported  negatively,  that  furfuraldehyde  is 
produced  when  cane  sugar  solutions  are  boiled.  The  following 
experiments,  therefore,  were  conducted  with  a  view  to  ascertaining 
the  behavior  of  distillates,  obtained  under  the  same  conditions  as 
described  by  Ramsay,  to  the  Hehner  test,  to  the  Rimini  test,  and 
also  to  the  recently  published  tests  for  furfuraldehyde  by  means  of 
solution  of  aniline  acetate.2 
A  20  per  cent,  solution  of  cane  sugar  was  boiled  for  some  time 
and  then  distilled,  the  distillate  being  collected  in  several  fractions, 
designated  as  No.  1  and  Xo.  2  in  the  tabulated  statement  of  results. 
Check  tests  were  made  simultaneously  with  formaldehyde  solutions 
containing  respectively  1/50,000  and  1/1,000,000  of  that  substance. 
A  solution  of  commercial  levulose  was  then  distilled  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  sugar  solution  and  the  same  tests  were  applied. 
A  20  per  cent,  solution  of  cane  sugar  was  boiled  and  distilled 
with  1  per  cent,  of  citric  acid,  and  a  similar  solution  was  prepared 
with  tartaric  acid  and  likewise  distilled  and  tested  as  in  the  fore- 
going cases.  Check  tests  were  also  carried  out,  using  furfuralde- 
hyde in  dilute  solution,  one  being  made  with  commercial  furfuralde- 
hyde, the  other  prepared  by  boiling  bran  with  diluted  sulphuric  acid 
and  distilling,  thus  obtaining  the  furfuraldehyde  freshly  for  the 
experiments. 
The  tabulated  results  of  these  experiments  are  as  follows : 
Hehner's  test        Rimini  test       Analine  ace- 
for  for  tate  tor 
formaldehyde     formaldehyde  furfuraldehyde 
Cane  sugar  distillate  No.  1   positive  negative  positive 
Cane  sugar  distillate  No.  2   positive  negative  positive 
Formaldehyde  1/50,000    positive  positive  negative 
Formaldehyde  1/1,000,000    positive  positive  negative 
Levulose  distillate    positive  negative  positive 
Cane  sugar  distillate  (with  citric  acid)  positive  negative  positive 
Cane  sugar  distillate  (with  tartaric  acid)  positive  negative  positive 
Commercial  furfuraldehyde    positive  negative  positive 
Freshly  made  furfuraldehyde  .  .  positive  negative  positive 
By  the  foregoing  results  it  will  be  clearly  seen  that  the  Hehner 
test  reacts  positively  with  every  solution  tested,  while  the  Rimini 
test  gives  positive  results  only  with  those  solutions  to  which  formal- 
bulletin  no,  U.  S.  Dept.  of  Agriculture,  Examination  of  Commercial 
Honeys. 
