THE CODEX AND THE BRITISH PHARMACOPOEIA. 
71 
126. Acide Benzoique par Yoie Humide. 
Acidum Benzoicum Aqua mediante paratum. 
Benzoic Acid prepared by water process. 
Benzoin in powder . . One thousand grammes . . 1000 
Slaked lime .... Five hundred grammes . . 500 
Water.. a sufficiency 
(Hydrochloric acid). ditto 
Mix the slaked lime with the benzoin, rub up the mixture with six litres of 
water and boil it for half an hour in a cast-iron pot, stirring continually, and 
strain upon a cloth, mix the residue with a fresh quantity of water, boil and 
strain again ; do this a third time, mix the liquors and evaporate to five litres, 
and add hydrochloric acid, until the reaction is decidedly acid. The benzoic 
acid separates and crystallizes upon cooling; as it is mixed with a small quan¬ 
tity of resinous matter, it is necessary to purify it by a second crystallization 
with boiling water. This process is not in P. B. Benzoic acid is also prepared 
by sublimation in the Codex. 
127. Acide Gallique. C 14 H 6 O 10 , 2 HO = 188. 
Acidum Gallicum. Gallic Acid. 
This is directed to be prepared in a manner similar to that of the P. B., 
but in the Codex the paste at the end of a month is to be pressed before ic is 
boiled; the pressing is omitted in the P. B. The Codex also directs purified 
animal charcoal to be filtered with the solution before the acid is finally sepa¬ 
rated, the utility of which is questionable. 
128. Acide Valeri anique. C 10 H 10 O 4 = 102. 
Acide Valerique. Acidum Valericum. 
Valerianic acid is directed to be prepared from Valerian root, a process not 
adopted by makers generally. 
130. Acide Tannique*. 0541 X 22034 = 618 . 
Tannin. Acidum Tannicum. 
Two processes for making tannic acid are given,—the old with galls, sulphuric 
ether, rectified spirit, and water, and a second resembling that of the P. B. 
Commend me the P. B. for simplicity. 
CHAPTER XVI. 
VEGETO-ALKALIS. 
The vegeto-alkalis or alkaloids are morphine, codeine, quinine, cinchonine, 
strychnine, brucine, atropine, veratrine, aconitine, and cicutine, or couine. The 
termination of these alkaloids in ~ine is retained in the Codex in preference to 
the -to of the P. B. 
The preparation of these substances must necessarily, from their nature, be 
confined to a few manufacturers, and therefore it would be futile to point out 
simply any little deviation in the processes adopted in the two books ; the 
authors of the P. B. are careful in this respect that they do not set forth that 
the Pharmacopoeia form is the only or the best, but in several instances, atropia 
to wit,—they say, “ An alkaloid obtained from belladonna. It may be obtained, 
by the following process.'" 
The process for preparing cicutine, or conine, has probably been less published 
than any of the others, therefore I translate it:— 
