79 
Puckner, W. A., presents a review, of the literature on the estima- 
tion of alkaloids, for the year 1905.— Pharm. Rev., Milwaukee, 1906, 
v. 24, pp. 228-237, 267-273. 
Browne, A. W., reviews the report, of the International Committee 
on Analysis, to the Sixth International Congress of Applied Chem- 
istry at Rome, 1906. — J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1906, v. 28, pp. 1035-1047. 
Philipp Roder, Wien, calls attention to the fact that the Ph. Austr. 
VIII demands assays for the alkaloidal content of galenical prepara- 
tions made from drugs for which no assay is demanded, and asserts 
that it is not practicable to make satisfactory preparations from drugs 
that are not themselves satisfactory. — Pharm. Zentralh., 1906, v. 47, 
p. 481. 
Wulff, C., points out that one of the more evident shortcomings 
of the German pharmacopoeia is that in connection with the assay 
processes (which are practically all titrimetric) the Ph. Germ. IV 
does not indicate the equivalent amount of alkaloid, and this informa- 
tion is usually furnished in connection with assay processes in foreign 
pharmacopoeias. — Ber. d. pharm. Gesellsch. Berl., 1906, v. 16, p. 164. 
Dott, D. B., believes that the Ph. Brit, processes might, with 
advantage, be simplified, and asserts that some of the peculiarities in 
assay processes are rather in the nature of fads. All of the more 
important alkaloids in liquid extracts, he believes, are easily dis- 
solved out by a mixture of chloroform and ether, so there is no need 
for varying the solvent employed. 
In the instances of belladonna, cinchona, and ipecacuanha the 
alkaloids can be well enough titrated by standard acid to estimate 
the quantity present. 
In the case of nux vomica the modification of the nitric acid 
method, devised by Farr and Wright, gives excellent results, is less 
liable to error than the ferrocyanide process, and can be completed 
in a much shorter time. — Yearbook of Pharmacy, 1906, p. 301. 
Dieterich, Karl, reports a comparative study of the assay processes 
of the Ph. Austr. VIII, the Ph. Germ. IV, and the potassium 
bismuth iodide method advocated by Thoms. From his observations 
it is evident that the Ph. Germ. IV method gives abnormally high, 
and somewhat irregular results, while the Ph. Austjx VIII and the 
potassium bismuth iodide method advocated by Thoms give fairly 
correlating results. — Helfenberger Annalen, 1905, Berl., 1906, pp. 
163-165. 
Thoms, H., discusses the applicability of potassium bismuth iodide 
solution and concludes that while this proposed reagent offers a fairly 
accurate method for the determination of the quantity of alkaloid 
present, the routine use is not to be considered because of the difficulty 
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