362 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, [November i, 1884. 



ANALYSIS OF COMMERCIAL SULPHATE OF 

 QUININE. 



DE VRIJ. 



BY M. J. 



M Juryfleisch has rendered a service to the readers of 

 this journal by inserting in the April number the rule work 

 which my compatriot and friend, M. Ondemans, published 

 a few years ago in the Annalen der Chemie. On applying 

 M Ondeman's method to the examination of commercial 

 sulphates of quiuine, I have obtained results which I am 

 happy to make known. . 



In the year 1835 I had the pleasure of making the per- 

 sonal acquaintance of M. Pelletier, oue of the authors of 

 the discovery of quinine, and of receiving from him a tine 

 collection of alkaloids prepared by himself. I had thus a 

 sample of pure quinine from an authentic source. I re- 

 ligiously preserved this precious souvenir for years, until my 

 studies on the alkaloids of cinchona compelled me m 1856 

 to sacrifice it. I found then that even this quinine, pre- 

 pared by M. Pelletier, contained traces of cinchomdiue, 

 an alkaloid discovered by M. Winckler in 1848, and con- 

 sequently unknown to M. PeUetier at the time of his 

 remarkable discovery of quinine. This cinchomdiue, dis- 

 covered at first by M. Winckler in one particular cinchona, 

 exists in different species more generally than was believed. 

 The calisaya bark from Bolivia, employed by M. Pelletier 

 and his contemporaries contained traces of it, a fact ot 

 which I became convinced on analyzing a sample ot C. 

 calisaya of those distant times, kept as a souvenir by one 

 of the heads of the firm of MM. d'Ailly et- fils, of Am- 

 sterdam, who at the same period as M. Pelletier also 

 manufactured sulphate of quinine. Even the cinchona 

 known as Cuprea contains traces, although generally sup- 

 posed to be free from it ; but the application of M. Oude- 

 inaus' process to the tartrate of the alkaloids obtained 

 and separated from this bark proved to me that it really 

 contains appreciable traces of cinchomdiue. 



The fact that commercial sulphate of quinine contains 

 traces of cinchouidine was then well known to me, but I 

 did uot suspect that the quantity was so considerable. 

 It is only within the last few months that I have been 

 able to prove that all the commercial sulphates of quinine 

 of France, England, Germany, and Holland which I have 

 analyzed contain sulphate of cinehonidine in quantity vary- 

 ing 'from 5 to 18 per cent. The presence of this salt, 

 within the limits mentioned, does not constitute an adult- 

 eration, but is a natural consequence of the presence of 

 cinehonidine in the barks employed in the actual manu- 

 facture of sulphate of quinine. 



The skilful and conscientious manufacturer can keep the 

 presence of sulphate of cinehonidine within certain limits ; 

 but, although he can prepare the acid sulphate of quinine 

 chemically pure, it is impossible for him to prepare com- 

 mercially-pure ordinary sulphate of quinine (basic/. And 

 even if he could, he would not, because his chemically- 

 pure basic sulphate would not be accepted by the trade 

 which demands a slight sulphate. Now, chemically-pure 

 sulphate of quinine is not light, but relatively heavy, as 

 can be easily seen by dissolving the bisulphate (monobasic 

 sulphate) in 40 parts of boiling water and saturating this 

 solution with caustic soda. On the cooling of the liauid 

 neutral to litmus paper, the basic sulphate will separate 

 in beautiful silky crystals, much heavier than the crystals 

 of commercial sulphate. . . 



AVhen 5. grams of commercial sulphate of quinine are 

 dissolve'' in 200 grams of boiling water, and to this are 

 added 5 grams of Rochelle salts, also dissolved in very 

 little boiling water the solution remains clear for a short 

 time; and on cooling regular crystals are seen to form. 

 After twenty-four hours the crystals should be carefully 

 collected on a filter, washed with the smallest possible 

 quautity of water, and dried in the air. On treating m 

 the same manner different samples of commercial quinine, 

 it will be found that the weights of tartrate are not 

 identical, because the quantity of these tartrates is influ- 

 ence.! by the water of crystallization and by the presence 

 of eincho'nine, the tartrate of which does not separate under 

 these conditions, but remains in solution. Consequently, 

 the weight of the tartrates obtained is one of the indic- 

 ations of the commercial value of the sulphate of quinine. 

 On treating several samples in this manner I have been 

 able to obtain quantities of tartrates varymg from SS'84 



to 9314 per cent of the sulphate employed. After having 

 determined the weight of tartrates obtained from different 

 samples, I have submitted these tartrates to an optical 

 examination, according to M. Ondemans' method. The 

 result proved that the quantity of sulphate of cinchouidine 

 contained in commercial sulphate of quinine varies from 

 5 47 to 1846 per cent. 



If this process is applied to different brands of sulphate 

 of quinine, it will be found that the difference in price, 

 from 15 to 30 francs per kilo, has often no foundation 

 but prejudice. — Journal de Pkarmacie et de Chimie. 



FALSE JAPANESE ISINGLASS. 

 The following is taken from Prof. Dyinock's work, "The 

 Vegetable Materia Medica of Western India": — 



History, Uses, etc. — This substance, called Yang-tsai by 

 the Chinese and known iu Europe as Mousse de Chine 

 and Japanese Isinglass, is a regular article of commerce 

 in Bombay, where it is valued on account of its supposed 

 strengthening properties. Hanbury gives the following ac- 

 count of it : — " Under the incorrect name of Japanese isin- 

 glass there has been lately imported into London from 

 Japan a quantity of a substance having the form of com- 

 pressed, irregularly four-sided sticks, apparently composed 

 of shriveled, semi-transparant yellowish-white membranes. 

 They are eleven inches long, by from one to one-half 

 inches broad, full of cavities ; very light (each weighing 

 about three drachms), lather flexible but easily broken, 

 and devoid of taste or smell. Treated with cold water, 

 a stick increases greatly in volume, becoming a quadrangular, 

 spongy bar with somewhat concave sides one and a halt 

 inches wide." The term Chinai-ghas is loosely applied in 

 Bombay to three substances, namely, Japanese isinglass, 

 edible birds' nests and Ceylon moss. 



Note. — This substance has attracted considerable atten- 

 tion in France. It was exhibited at the Par*; Exposition 

 of 1878 under the name of Thao. The following particulars 

 from the catalogue may prove interesting :— Various trials 

 have been made with it in France since 1874, espe ially 

 by MM. D. Gantilloi. & Co., at Lyons, and the Industrial 

 Society at Rouen. The thao is prepared for use in the 

 following way:— After having been soaked iu cold water 

 for about twelve hours, it is boiled for a quarter of an 

 hour, during which it absorbs about one hundred times its 

 weight of water. If allowed to cool it becomes a jelly, but 

 if passed through a sieve and stirred until cold it remains 

 iluid. and in this state is more easily employed than when 

 hot. The yellowish matter which some specimens contain 

 can be removed by boiling for some time, when it forms 

 an insoluble scum, which appears to cousist of very thiu 

 fibres, and which remain attached to the sides of the 

 vessel. A singular property, and one which perhaps might 

 be turned to valuable account, is that thao jelley does uot 

 decompose solution of permanganate of potassium even 

 when left in contact with it for twenty-four hours. 



According to M. Heilmann, of Rouen, thao produces, in 

 the proportion of one part to one hundred of water, a 

 dressing which is supple and strong, and which gives sub- 

 stance rather than stiffness to calico, while dextrine, like 

 starch, makes the tissue drier and harder, and gives less 

 facing to the thread. The addition of glycerine gives a 

 dressiug still more flexible and soft, and while rendering 

 the tissues less stiff, it communicates more body to 

 them. 



The addition of talc gives still greater smoothness. Once 

 dissolved, according to M. Gantillon, thao will mix while 

 hot with any gum, starch, dextrine or gelatine. The principal 

 a. .vantage of thao in dressing silk fabrics is that while 

 preserving their suppleness, it gives them greater glossiness 

 and makes them soft to the touch. The mixture ol thao 

 with gum tragacanth is said to be the best method of using 

 it. Thao should, however, be used alone for materials winch 

 it is uot. necessary should be stiffened. As thao is only 

 soluble at a high temperature, a moist atmosphere, tog or 

 even rain does not affect the material dressed with it. It 

 combines well with sulphate of copper and the chlorides 

 of aniline and potassium, and can be used in double ilyeiug. 

 It also answers well for sizing paper, &c. The only obstacle 

 to its extensive use is its high price. There 13, however, no 

 reason why a similar substance should not be made from 

 our common native seeweeds, of which Gehdium carne.i h 



