August 24, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
141 
OLEIC ACID AND SOME OF ITS 
COMBINATIONS. 
BY ALFRED W. GERHARD, 
Dispenser and Pharmacist, Guy's Hospital. 
The introduction of the oleates of mercury and 
morphia as remedial agents by Mr. J. Marshall, 
F.R.S., suggested to me the following as capable of 
preparation, and as having some therapeutic value:— 
Mr. Frank Clowes, to whom Mr. Marshall re¬ 
ferred the chemical question of his paper ( £ Lancet,’ 
May 25th, 1872), mentions that the scales of peroxide 
of mercury are with difficulty soluble in oleic acid. 
I find this is not so if the peroxide is previously 
well levigated. There is no necessity, therefore, for 
preparing the fresh oxide for solution in the oleic 
acid. 
The oleic acid used in the following preparations 
is that made at the stearine candle factories, where 
it occurs as a secondary product. It is contaminated 
with a variety of impurities the removal of which is 
a tedious process. It has the colour of olive oil, 
but a thinner consistence, and a slight tallowy odour; 
is soluble in all the ordinary fats and oils, alcohol 
and ether, but insoluble in glvcerine. It forms nor- 
mal and acid salts; the normal salts of the alkalies 
potash and soda are the soluble soaps of the phar¬ 
macopoeia. 
Professor Miller, in his ‘ Elements of Chemistry,’ 
part 3, page 363-4, says, “ Pure oleic acid, at tem¬ 
peratures above 57°, forms a colourless limpid oil 
without taste or smell; it does not redden litmus 
even when dissolved in alcohol; at 40° it concretes 
into a hard crystalline mass composed of line needles. 
When solid it undergoes no change in the air, but 
when liquid it absorbs oxygen, rapidly acquiring a 
brown colour, a rancid odour, and an acid reaction 
upon litmus, its point of solidification gradually 
becoming lowered until it falls below 0° Fahren¬ 
heit.” 
By reason of the impurities in commercial oleic 
acid, I find that it cannot be made to unite with the 
salts used in the following preparations in equiva¬ 
lent proportions; it will, however, form solutions of 
20 per cent., and this I have chosen as a suitable 
strength:— 
Oleate of Lead (20 per cent.). 
Prepared by heating together oxide of lead one 
part, oleic acid four parts, until dissolved; on cool¬ 
ing, it forms a semi-transparent tenacious mass some¬ 
what thinner than lead plaister. This is not well 
adapted for direct application, but requires diluting, 
and as it mixes readily with ordinary fats and oils, 
I have adopted the following formula for its exhibi¬ 
tion :— 
Ointment of Oleate of Lead. 
Take of 
Oleate of Lead (20 per cent.) 2 parts. 
Oil of Almonds .... 1 part. 
Prepared Lard .... 1 „ 
Mix until a gentle heat. 
On cooling, this forms an elegant' ointment re¬ 
sembling that of spermaceti. 
Oleate of Zinc (20 per cent.). 
Prepared by heating together oxide of zinc one 
part, oleic acid four parts, until dissolved. During 
Third Series, No. 113. 
the process of solution some bubbling takes place 
with disengagement of watery vapour. It is tran¬ 
sparent when melted; on cooling, it has the appear¬ 
ance of lead plaister, is hard and friable, and re¬ 
quires to be diluted in the same manner as oleate of 
lead. 
Ointment of Oleate of Zinc. 
Take of 
Oleate of Zinc (20 per cent.) 2 parts. 
Oil of Almonds .... 1 part. 
Prepared Lard .... 1 „ 
Mix with heat. 
This forms an ointment of the ordinary consist¬ 
ence. 
Whilst experimenting with the above, I thought 
that if atropine and aconitine were soluble in oleic 
acid, they might prove useful preparations. I find 
they are readily so at ordinary temperatures, whilst 
the sulphate of atropine is soluble on the application 
of heat. 
I have prepared solutions of the above, which 
nearly correspond to the ointments of the British 
Pharmacopoeia. 
Solution of Oleate of Atropine. 
Take of 
Atropine.2 grains. 
Oleic Acid.08 grains. 
Dissolve. 
Solution of Oleate of Aconitine. 
Take of 
Aconitine.2 grains. 
Oleic Acid.08 ,, 
On economical grounds there can be no objection 
to the introduction of the oleates, as large quantities 
of oleic acid can be obtained at a cheap rate, but the 
chief consideration is whether they present any ad¬ 
vantages as remedial agents beyond those of the 
same kind already in use. This is a question for 
the therapeutist, and must be left to the physician 
and surgeon to decide. 
My thanks are due to Mr. A. Higgins, of the Bo¬ 
rough, for the oleic acid used in the above experi¬ 
ments. 
THE BATTLE OF THE DIGIT ALINES.* 
On the lltli of May, 1867, we thus terminated one 
of our studies in the exhibition;—“In the glass- 
case of M. Dorvault two new products sparkle in 
microscopic tubes: crystallized menyanthine and digi- 
taline. Again, ought we not to ask if this last alka¬ 
loid is well authenticated ; if it is not rather derived 
from, than an active principle of, digitalis ? A num¬ 
ber of reasons lead us to believe in the improbability 
of this marvellous crystallization, a veritable philo¬ 
sopher’s stone imposed on the chemists; chemical 
experience is indispensable to prove the fact. At 
all events, these discoveries are due to the intelli¬ 
gence and indefatigable energy of M. Nativelle.” 
In 1869 M. Nativelle declared that his crystallized 
digitaline of 1867 contained at least two-thirds of inert 
matter. In 1871 a new process of extraction of the 
crystallized digitaline, a process verified by Professor 
Buignet, and rewarded by a great prize of the Aca¬ 
demy of Medicine, gave to M. Nativelle the success 
and recompense due to his incomparable diligence 
as a manipulator. In May, 1872, as a consequence 
* From La France Medicale, July 27. 
