BUREAU OF CHEMISTRY. 435 



DRUG INVESTIGATIONS. 

 IMPROVEMENT OF METHODS. 



Much time has been devoted during the last fiscal year to special 

 investigations for formulating and adapting analytical methods to 

 the examination of various drugs, simple and mixed. Special atten- 

 tion has been given to the following subjects: 



Acetone and methyl and ethyl alcohols. — Methods for the 

 estimation of methyl and ethyl alcohol and acetone in mixtures have 

 been studied with a view to improving and simplifying these deter- 

 minations, and the results already obtained justify further work along 

 this line. 



Alcohol and ether. — The separation and estimation of alcohol 

 and ether, especially in mixtures containing essential oils, was studied, 

 the method depending upon the separation of the ether by means of 

 condensers and alcohol traps maintained at a temperature between 

 the boiling points of the two substances and the subsequent estima- 

 tion of the ether in aqueous solution by means of the refractometer. 

 The procedure gives promise of success. 



MoRPHiN combinations, ETC. — Methods for the estimation of 

 morphin salts in preparations as such, and morphin in opium prep- 

 arations such as paregoric, soothing sirups, cordials, laudanum, and 

 Chinese pills, have been made a special study and the results obtained 

 are very satisfactory. This method appears in Chemistry Bulletin 

 No. 137, recently issued. 



SYNTHETIC PRODUCTS. 



During the past fiscal year the synthetic products laboratory has 

 examined 197 samples, of which 119 were interstate, 27 import, and 

 51 unofficial. As the result of such exammation 60 cases were recom- 

 mended to the chief of the bureau for prosecution and 3 for seizure. 

 During this period 18 Notices of Judgment dealing with products of 

 this nature have been issued. The illegal samples included a great 

 variety of products — such as preparations for headache, colds, grippe, 

 rheumatism, fevers, asthma, etc., medicinal wines, soft drinks, and 

 beverages, various gums, as tragacanth, Indian mesquit, ghatti, 

 asafetida, etc. Several samples were examined for other depart- 

 ments and numerous check analyses were performed for other lab- 

 oratories. 



Cooperative work on headache mixtures and similar products has 

 given some gratifying results, several new methods relating thereto 

 having been elaborated, notably one for the estimation of salicylic 

 acid in the presence of boracic acid. Methods for the quantitative 

 separation of cafFein, acetanilid, sodium salicylate, and alcohol in the 

 presence of essential oils have been fully tested and approved. 



In connection with the examination of powdered gum tragacanth, 

 attention wa-; directed to the desirability of improving the methods 

 of checking the purity of this commodit3^ After considerable experi- 

 mentation with authentic samples of the whole and powdered gums, 

 and also with who!/? ami powdered so-called Indian gums {Sterculia 

 urens and Cochlospermum gossypium), extensively employed as adul- 



