r%odctct& 4Utd Antibiotic Found in Citrus Fruit Mold An apparently very potent woundhealing antibiotic derived from a mold growing on citrus fruits has been reported from China. It is called citrinin and has certain properties in lessening the resistance of infection-causing microorganisms both to itself and to some sulfa drugs, and is said to be particularly suitable for infected wounds. A notable test was made by cutting almost an inch square piece of skin from the rabbit and infecting the wound with staphylococci aureus. When dusted with citrinin powder the wounds dried up and crusts formed over .them in one day. In two days there was complete healing. Similar wounds treated with sulfadiazine required four days to heal. Those left untreated showed no improvement in seven days. The drug has been used in three cases of local infection in human beings, and both staphylococcus and streptococcus-infected areas dried up in from 6 to 18 hours. It has proved effective against pneumococci, among many other pathogens, but experiments on internal use have shown it to be quite poisonous, so it probably will be restricted for some time t o external applications.
Amberlite
Polymer
A water-soluble polymer claimed to have unusual qualities of uniformity and stability, adhesion, compatibility, and ability to be insolubilized, has been announced by the Resinous Products & Chemical Co., Philadelphia. Preliminary tests of Amberlite W-l reveal its value in the manufacture of wet strength paper, adhesives and cements, as a thickener for latex and neoprene, and indicate potentialities for reproduction operations, printing techniques, sizing, and all types of coatings. The material is compatible with numerous water-soluble film-formers, such as casein, polyvinyl alcohol, carboxymethylcellulose, and lecithin; dries to a nontacky film although it exhibits tackiness similar to a rubber cement during drying; does not support bacterial or fungal growth ; and may be insolubilized by heat, formaldehyde, or metallic salts. Airdried films of the versatile polymer are clear, essentially colorless, quite brittle, and show excellent adhesion to paper, fabric, and porous surfaces. In dilute solution, Amberlite W-l will emulsify monomelic plasticizers and Paraplex resins to produce stable emulsions. 3520
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Pnro-2,2,3,3,3-ptmt achloropropane and iriinethylene bromohydrin.
CLEAT JEL
University of California College of Agriculture scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project have 'answered the question of what happens when plutonium is fed to plants. The report of t heir war time experiments show that barley roots were unharmed when exposed to the radia tion of plutonium for only 24 hours, but investigators opine that longer exposure would produce serious damage. There were marked signs of injury to dwarf pea plants grown for three months in a sandy soil containing very small amounts of five fission by-products. T h e roots fell apart when lifted from the soil and the flow of water and plant food from roots to leaves was badly damaged.
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