49 
Kebler, Lyman F., in committee on drug market report, points out 
that barium hydrate not infrequently contains fragments of hay, 
wood, and paper; also chloride and carbonate. — Proc. Am. Pharm. 
Ass., 1905, v. 53, p. 183. 
Hulett and Duschak (Z. anorg. Chem., v. 40, pp. 196-217) have 
investigated and report on the presence of chlorine in barium sul- 
phate precipitated by barium chloride. — Abstr. J. Am. Chenp Soc., 
1905, v. 27, p. 449. 
BROMIDES. 
Caspari, Charles E., calls attention to “ the extremely unsatisfac- 
tory method retained in the pharmacopoeia for determining the per- 
centage of chlorides in bromides. By the present official method 
only the most careful and experienced analytical chemist can hope 
to obtain accurate results, and even he will frequently make an error 
amounting to 25 per cent of the actual amount of chloride present. 
If the chloride must be titrated with the bromide by means of a sil- 
ver solution, then it is much more accurate to add an excess of the 
silver solution and determine the excess of silver nitrate by means of 
a standard solution of sulphocyanide, because the end point in this 
case is much more easily recognized than when potassium chromate 
is used as an indicator. By far the best method of making the de- 
termination consists in treating the mixture of chloride and bromide 
in acid solution with some oxidizing agent, such as ammonium per- 
sulphate or lead peroxide, which will oxidize the hydrobromic acid, 
but which will not affect the hydrochloric acid, which, after the 
removal of all bromine, can be titrated with a silver solution. This 
latter method can be carried out just as expeditiously as the present 
official method, with very much less chance of error, and it requires 
but about half an hour to make the entire determination.” — Meyer 
Bros. Druggist, 1905, v. 26, p. 248. 
Jones (Chem. Yews, v. 89, p. 229) found that primary ammonium 
carbonate solution gives a sharp separation of silver chloride from 
silver bromide. — Abstract J. Am. Chem. Soc., Y. Y., 1905, v. 27, 
p. 1347. 
Planes, Paul, outlines a colorimetric method for the estimation of 
chlorine and bromine by the use of potassium iodide and the libera- 
tion of iodine. — Bull, de Pharm. du Sud-Est, 1905, v. 10, pp. 281-289. 
Beckurts, H., discusses the action of bromine on strychnine and the 
production of bromostrychnine hydrobromide. — Arch. d. Pharm., 
1905, v. 243, p. 493. 
Sprattling (Med. Rec., Y. Y., Sept. 2, 1905) discusses the abuse of 
bromides in epilepsy and reports analyzing twenty-seven “ patent ” 
nostrums for epilepsy. The basis of all, without exception, was bro- 
mide of potassium. — Abstr. J. Am. M. Ass., Chicago, 1905, v. 45, p. 873. 
77439— Bull. 49—09 4 
