122 
THE ERROR AND THE REMEDY. 
contrary, almost always contains a small quantity of compound ethers, as also does ordi¬ 
nary ether, even after digestion on milk of lime. 
“ Glycol prepared by the ordinary methods, and rectified to a certain point, is particu¬ 
larly impure. I have found in it as much as 22 per cent, of combined acetic acid, cor¬ 
responding to 40 per cent, of monoacetic glycol. This fact may occasion more than one 
error, and the knowledge of it will be useful to chemists occupied with this curious 
substance. 
“ To recognize the presence, without estimating, of a neutral ether in an alcohol, I heat 
the alcohol with twice its volume of water, for twenty hours, at 150°. Most of the 
neutral ether changes into acid. 
“ 3. The presence of a free acid in an alcohol or an ether is so easily recognized that I 
need not stop to describe the process. Formic ethers, for instance, are always acid ; but 
they decompose so promptly as to prevent the exact estimation of the free acid. The 
free acid of other ethers, on the contrary, can be precisely estimated. 
“ 4. The presence of a small quantity of water in a neutral ether may be detected by 
heating this ether to 150° during twenty or thirty hours; the water decomposes an 
almost equivalent quantity of ether into acid and alcohol. The acid is then estimated by 
a standard solution of baryta. On submitting acetic ether caiefully purified by the or¬ 
dinary methods to this test, it will obstinately retain one per cent, of water, which is with 
great difficulty eliminated. 
“ 5. The presence of a small quantity of water in alcohol may also be detected by mixing 
the alcohol with a perfectly anhydrous compound ether, tested as above. It is then 
heated for twenty or thirty hours at about 150°. If the alcohol is anhydrous, the mix¬ 
ture should not become acid. 
“ 6. The presence of a small quantity of alcohol in a neutral and anhydrous ether, 
acetic ether for instance, may be detected by heating the ether with a known weight of 
quite pure acetic acid. The standard of the acid will diminish according to the amount 
of alcohol.” 
THE ERROR AND THE REMEDY. 
TO THE EDITOR OF THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL. 
Sir,—As a rule, it is much more easy to point out a real or an imaginary 
error than to suggest the most potent remedy. In the article styled “ The Error 
and the Remedy,” which appears in the Journal for this month, the writer has 
evidently fallen into an error himself, and is not, wc think, very happy in the 
remedy he proposes. The subject to which he draws attention is “the lamen¬ 
table failure of our Society to accomplish the objects for which it was founded.” 
This would be lamentable indeed if he had “ proved ” his statement to be fact: 
mere assertion goes only for what it is worth. If steady progress can be called 
a failure, the Society has failed indeed. But we submit that the long array of 
names, consisting of members, associates, and apprentices, published in the July 
number of the Journal, does not verify the statement of failure. 
That our Society “ in regard to numbers ” does bear but a small proportion to 
the entire body of chemists and druggists cannot be gainsaid ; but, let it be re¬ 
membered, this is not a fault which should be laid to the charge of the Society, 
as it belongs more particularly to those who closed the doors against themselves : 
more than once was the opportunity offered to non-members to enrol themselves 
as members, but they failed to take advantage of it, and thus the door has been 
closed. Amongst these there are men of intrinsic worth, who might have been 
useful members and ornaments to the Society, and it is much to be regretted 
that they are not amongst us. Yet notwithstanding, this is not a proof of fail¬ 
ure. It was wished they should be with us : their wish was otherwise ; and we 
must say, that in spite of their absence we have advanced, and hold in our ranks 
a very large proportion of the intelligence of the general body of druggists. 
I look upon it, Sir, that the great aim of our Society has'been future ,—to lay 
