12 



THE NEW YORK JOURNAL OF PHARMACY 



phates, cane sugar and invert sugar. 

 Bulir reports that 97 per cent, of the 

 samples examined contained adulterants. 



H. Yanagisawa and H. Saito recom- 

 mend the following method of procedure 

 for the detection of beta-naphthol when 

 used as a preservative in food stufifs: 

 The reagent rec[uired is prepared as fol- 

 lows : A mixture of i ccm. of hydro- 

 chloric acid and 5 ccm. of distilled water 

 is gently heated and enough para-mitro- 

 anilin added so that the resulting solution 

 will contain. 50 per cent, of the salt. 



To this solution after it becomes cool, 

 is added a solution of 0.3 gm. of sodium 

 nitrate in 45 ccm. of ice cold water and 

 the mixture allowed to stand for one-half 

 hour, when if necessary it is filtered. The 

 reagent has a yellow color and must be 

 perfectly clear. 



A few drops of the reagent added to 

 a diluted solution of beta-naphthol will 

 produce at once a scarlet-red precipitate. 

 In the presence of only minute quantities 

 of beta-naphthol, the solution turns 

 scarlet-red, a precipitate however does 

 not form, until after heating gently or 

 setting aside for .one-half hour. The 

 reaction is sensative i : 100,000. 



C. Mannich and S. Kroll in Apoth. 

 Ztg. 1914, 29, 309, report the following 

 as a result of an examination of Kala- 

 max. Under this title the International 

 Druggists and Chemists Laboratories, 

 London-Paris-New York, markets a 

 liquid preparation, which is claimed to 

 restore the color and natural gloss of 

 white, grey or bleached hair. The prep- 

 aration is claimed to be free from mer- 

 cury, copper or silver salts, which claim, 

 according to the examination made, 

 would seem to be substantiated. 



Each container of Kalamax holds 62,0 

 grammes of a yellowish liquid, having 

 an ammoniacal odor and an astringent 

 taste. Its specific gravity was found to 

 be 1.0342. 



The residue after evaporation and 

 drying at 100° C, was found to weigh 

 6.06 gm. Ignition of the residue re- 

 sulted in the production of ammoniacal 

 vapors and an order resembling that of 

 caramel. Ash equalled 2.50 per cent. 



Extraction of the ash by means of 

 hot water produced a liquid which was 

 found to contain potassium, sulphuric 

 and hydrochloric acids. The water- 

 insoluble material dissolved readily in 

 diluted hydrochloric acid, and was ident- 

 ified as bismuth oxide, containing a trace 

 of iron oxide. Quantitatively 0.68% of 

 bismuth oxide and 0.056% of chlorine 

 were found. 



The presence of tartrates was further 

 demonstrated, and the authors claim that 

 the chief constituents of Kalamax is bis- 

 muth tartrate, together with small 

 amounts of potassium and ammonium 

 tartrate. The article was also found to 

 contain small amounts of benzoin. The 

 iron and chlorides found present may 

 very likely be considered in the light of 

 impurities. 



Our German friends are still engaged 

 in recommending methods and proce- 

 dures having for their purpose the res- 

 toration of Tincture of Iodine, after 

 the Iodine has been more or less con- 

 verted into Hydriodic acid. Some time 

 ago Droeste attempted to show that Hy- 

 drogen dioxide might be employed with 

 success for this purpose, and now 

 Roques, in Journ. der Phar. et Chim., 

 1914, No. 6 recommends the use of 



