C. U. C. p. ALUMNI JOURNAL 



255 



Teaberry.— D. T. V., New York.— 

 This is one of the many synonyms for 

 wintergreen. In Lyons Plant Names we 

 find as other common names for this 

 herb, partridge berry, checker berry, 

 chicken berry, spice berry, dew berry, 

 ground berry, grouse berry, hill berry, 

 ivy berry, liver leaf, red berry tea, 

 Canadian tea, mountain tea, chinks, 

 drunkards, red pollen, ivory plum pippins 

 and rapper dandies. 



Prescription Incompatibility. — B. G.. 

 New York, submits for criticism a pre- 

 scription calling for i^ drachms of 

 strontium bromide, 2 drachms of sodium 

 salicylate and enough water to make 2 

 fluid ounces. The trouble is due to the 

 formation of sparingly soluble strontium 

 salicylate. While strontium bromide is 

 soluble in about 0.35 part of water and 

 sodium salicylate dissolves in 0.9 part of 

 water, strontium salicylate requires for 

 solution 18 parts of water. In short the 

 90 grains of strontium bromide directed 

 in the prescription will yield 107 grains 

 of strontium salicylate and this will re- 

 quire over 1800 grains (about 4 fluid 

 ounces) of water to dissolve it. As the 

 prescription calls for less than 2 fluid 

 ounces of water, the strontium salicylate 

 precipitates. We are unable to suggest 

 any way the prescription, as written, can 

 be compounded without the production 

 of the precipitate. 



Ebullioscope.— R. B. G., New York. 

 The apparatus you have in mind is Sul- 

 livan's Ebullioscope, by means of which 

 the percentage of alcohol in wines or 

 perfumes can be quickly determined and 

 that with a fair degree of accuracy. It is 

 based on the variation of the boiling 

 point of mixtures of alcohol and water in 

 accordance with the amount of alcohol 



present; the apparatus consisting of a 

 jacketed metallic reservoir (heated by a 

 lamp) with an alembic type of con- 

 denser. A thermometer graduated in 

 tenths of a degree and a slide rule for 

 assisting in the calculation of results. 



The apparatus is described at length in 

 Leach's Food Inspection and Analysis 

 and it can be purchased of almost any 

 scientiflc instrument dealer. 



"Ammiac Powder."— T. L. B., New 

 York, desires information concerning 

 "ammiac powder" which, he claims, is 

 used in flavoring tobacco. This query 

 has proven troublesome as we can find no 

 direct reference to anything of smilar 

 name used in the tobacco industry. We 

 incline to the belief that what is desired 

 is powdered ammi. This name is given 

 to several fruits of the plants of the 

 Umbellifera, all of which are related to 

 caraway. The Egyptian ammi is said 

 to be the fruit of Carum copticum; 

 Hager states that "ammi officinale" is the 

 fruit of Ptychotis coptica or ajowan 

 seed; while the "Real Enzyklopedie der 

 gesamten Pharmazie" mentions under 

 the name "ammi." the fruit of Ammi 

 Visnaga ; of Ammi majus, of Heloscidum 

 laterifoUum; of Ptycotis verticillata and 

 of Sison Amomum. 



All of which in plain English is that 

 the nearest "hit" we can make on "am- 

 miac powder" is powdered ajowan seed. 



