THE NEW YORK JOURNAL OF PHARMACY 



11 



Professor George C. Diekman 



Scientific Investigations Reported from 



the Pharmaceutical Laboratories of 



the University Goettingen. 



C. Mannich and S. Kroll, in Apothekei 

 Zeitung. No. i8, 19 14, page 185, report 

 as follows : 



Salicol — Under this title. Dr. M. 

 Weitemeyer, of Erfurt, placed on the 

 market a medicinal substance, in tablet 

 form, said to contain aceto-salicylic and 

 citro-salicylic acids. Investigations made 

 as far back as 1912, by Von C. Mannich 

 and L. Schwedes, Apotheker Zeitung, 

 igi2, No. 55. showed that Salicol was 

 nothing more than an impure aceto sali- 

 cylic acid. Later investigations under- 

 taken upon request of the German 

 Apothecaries Society, seem to confirm 

 the earlier findings. 



The tablets are furnished in glass 

 tubes, sealed, and each tube containing 

 20 tablets, averaging 0.55 gm. in weight 

 Each tablet was found to contain alcohol- 

 insoluble matter, chiefly starch, weighing 

 0.08 gm. The residue after ignition 

 equalled 2% and consisted of compounds 

 of aluminum. . 



The presence of acetyl-salicylic acid 

 was shown by allowing the alcoholic ex- 

 tract to va])orize spontaneously. The 



crystals thus obtained were identified as 

 impure acetyl-salicylic acid. The acid 

 thus obtained did not meet the require- 

 ments of the Arzeneibuches as far as the 

 melting point and the ferric chloride re- 

 action are concerned. 



The investigators were unable to de- 

 monstrate the jDresence of any substance 

 corresponding to citro-salicylic acid ; in 

 fact, they remark that to their knowledge 

 no such substance has been prepared. 

 They nevertheless attempted to ascertain 

 whether or not citric acid was present, 

 either free or combined. For this pur- 

 pose they extracted a number of the tab- 

 lets with alcohol, removed the alcohol 

 by evaporation, and treated the residue 

 with water for several hours. This solu 

 tion was then concentrated, salicylic acid 

 separating out. They were unable by any 

 of the known characteristic tests to show 

 the presence of citric acid in the mother 

 liquor. 



The authors, as a result of their in- 

 vestigations, have arrived at the conclu- 

 sion that the tablets of Salicol. consi.^t 

 entirely of acetyl-salicylic acid, and the 

 statement that they contain also citro- 

 salicylic acid is therefore false and mis- 

 leading. 



