824 
THE AUSTRALASIAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACY. 
SCIENTILEGrIUM.* 
By Alfred H. Jackson, B.Sc., F.C.S., M.P.S., &c., Director of the College 
of Pharmacy , Melbourne. 
Several inquiries concerning Iodol having been made at the College during the 
past month, it is thought desirable to present a summary of what has been 
published about this new antiseptic. 
Iodol. 
History. — Our knowledge of this body is chiefly due to the researches of 
Ciamician and Dennstedt, who have published a number of investigations on the 
Pyrroline series. 
Pyrrol or Pyrroline , C^H^NH, is a colourless oil when freshly prepared, 
but it soon assumes a brown colour. It boils at about 130° C., and has a 
pleasant smell. It imparts a fine crimson colour to pine wood moistened with 
XH = CH 
hydrochloric acid. Its constitution may be represented as 
X CH = CH 
.CH — CH 
(Baeyer), or NHf || (Scliiff), thus it is an Amine and analogous to 
V CH — CH 
CH = CH CH = CH 
Thiophene | and to Furfurane Of I wherein the Imidogen 
V CH = CH V CH = CH 
group is replaced by sulphur and by oxygen respectively. 
Preparation. — Pyrroline has been obtained by heating ammonium pyromucate 
with glycerine, by the fractional distillation of coal tar oil, and from bone or animal 
oil. This last source exhibits it in a form suitable to the manufacture of Iodol . 
The fraction of bone oil containing pyrroline is heated with a large excess of potash 
in a reflux apparatus until the whole mass is fused, any unchanged oil is 
separated, and the solid, finely -powdered crystalline mass washed with ether is 
Potassium Pyrroline . 
To make the iodol, an ethereal solution of iodine is cautiously poured into 
a flask containing 100 c.c. of anhydrous ether, and 10 grammes of potassium- 
pyrroline. The iodine is added until a permanent colouration is produced, but a 
large excess of iodine must be avoided. After removing the ether from the 
mixture by distillation, the residue is exhaused with boiling alcohol to separate 
the potassium iodide from the iodo-pyrroline ; the alcoholic solution is treated 
with animal charcoal, and poured into water ; and the precipitated product is 
further purified by solution in alcohol, reprecipitation by water, and recrystal- 
lisation from alcohol. 
Properties. — Iodol or tetriodopyrroline, C 4 I 4 NH, forms long prisms, soluble in 
ether, acetic acid, and hot alcohol. The crystals decompose without melting between 
140° and 150° C. With silver nitrate their alcoholic solution gives a white 
precipitate, which rapidly blackens. Iodol is insoluble in an aqueous solution 
of potash, but dissolves readily in alcoholic potash. Commercial specimens 
are in the form of a brown amorphous powder ; when warmed with nitric 
acid the solution turns red ; and in sulphuric acid it dissolves with the formation 
of a green colour. 
Uses. — It is said to be free from the smell of iodoform, and to be a more 
powerful antiseptic ; it has not yet produced any symptoms of poisoning. It 
appears also to act as a local anaesthetic, and favours granulation. Applied 
locally to chancroids it produces the same effect as salicylic acid. A one- 
hundredth per cent, solution in oil injected under the skin produces no reaction, 
while the passage of iodine into the urine has been determined. 
This was omitted from the last issue owing to pressure of other matter. 
