December 7, 1872.] THE PHABMACEUTICAL JOUBNAL AND TBANSACTIONS. 
443 
20 oz. spirit of wine, mixed with 20 oz. of water, 
were passed through the cones in succession, being 
allowed to stand for six hours in each. About 26 oz. 
syrupy fluid were recovered and reserved. The 
spirituous maceration was followed by a succession 
of three aqueous macerations, which were recovered 
and evaporated separately to a syrupy consistence. 
In this way the rhubarb was efficiently exhausted 
with 7 pints of fluid (compared with 22 pints pre¬ 
scribed in the Pharmacopoeia formula). The reduced 
aqueous macerates were mixed with the reserved 
spirituous liquor, and evaporated carefully in water- 
batli to suitable consistence, yielding as product 
1 lb. 11 oz. (42‘2 per cent.) of sapid and fragrant 
extract, which dissolves with facility in water, 
forming a solution which, in appearance and taste, 
might almost pass for fresh infusion of rhubarb. 
Its cost was 10s. 9 cl. per lb., including estimated 
allowance for working expenses. I have not in¬ 
vestigated its medicinal activity; but unless it is 
greatly superior to that of average specimens, the 
practical result has been to waste lb. rhubarb and 
a certain amount of time. 
It will be seen that the above process, which dif¬ 
fers materially from the process recommended by 
the Pharmacopoeia, coincides with suggestions made 
by the President in recent papers upon the prepara¬ 
tion of tinctures; that is to say, that it uses the 
spirituous solvent and the aqueous solvent consecu¬ 
tively (as in the Pharmacopoeia process for extract 
jalap); and I may take the opportunity of saying 
that I have frequently availed myself of this mode of 
exhausting drugs, but I do not think it is applicable 
to the preparation of tinctures to the extent contem¬ 
plated in the paper referred to. For example, it 
would not answer to macerate the ingredients for 
tincture of rhubarb first in rectified spirit, next in 
water, and then mix the resulting liquors, but a 
judicious application of the idea will often enable 
us to recover the ivhole of the spirit employed and 
to avoid loss of volume in the product, which, as 
Mr. Umney has shown in his useful table of the loss 
in the preparation of tinctures, is sometimes a 
matter of considerable importance. 
[ The discussion upon this paper is printed at p. 458.] 
DISPENSING NOTE ON CHLORAL 
HYDRATE.* 
BY J. G. PLUMER. 
There have been many suggestions put forward 
respecting the dispensing and dose of chloral hydrate. 
It was first, I believe, introduced on the Continent, 
and has been given there in doses consisting of only 
five grains, principally combined with simple syrup 
and distilled water. But in England it is given in 
doses ranging from five to fifteen or twenty grains, 
either in the form of draught, syrup or mixture. It 
is generally prescribed in the form of a syrup ; 
Tolu and other flavouring adjuncts being em¬ 
ployed to disguise the taste. In my opinion the 
Syrupus Flor. Aurantii, P.B., is the best form of 
combination with which it can be used. It seems 
most effectually to avoid the sickly feeling created by 
the chloral hydrate; I venture to suggest the employ - 
* Bead at tlie Evening Meeting of tlie Pharmaceutical 
Society of Great Britain, December 4, 1872. 
ment of a concentrated solution winch may prove 
convenient. I find that one fluid drachm of a solu¬ 
tion made with distilled water may contain so large 
a quantity as one drachm by weight of the chloral 
hydrate. I therefore use this formula :— 
£ 
Chloral Hydrat.£j. 
Aquae destillat.q. s. ad fl. * j. 
About five drachms of aqua destillata are found 
necessary, and the result is satisfactory. Hence 
in a prescription ordering 5 ij chloral hydrate, two 
drachms of the concentrated solution will be wanted. 
The convenient applications of this liquor will be 
obvious. Syrup of chloral hydrate in any combina¬ 
tion may be instantaneously prepared. Thus :— 
9 = 
Liq. Chloral Hydrat. . . . in. 80. 
Syrup. Flor. Aurant. 5 iv. 
Syrup. Simplicis. 5 iv. 
The resulting syrup will contain ten grains of 
chloral hydrate to the drachm. Should a coloured 
syrup be desired, as is frequently the case, then the 
following formula may be substituted:— 
9 
Syrup. Rlioeados.5ss. 
Liq. Chloral Hydrat.m 80. 
Syrup. Flor. Aurant.ad 5 j- 
Or, 
Liq. Chloral Hydrat.m 80. 
Tinct. Cocci.«i ij. 
Syrup. Flor. Aurant.ad § j. 
An anodyne draught of any requisite strength 
may be expeditiously prepared; and the solution 
has this advantage, that although in so highly con¬ 
centrated a state, it will keep without decomposition 
any reasonable amount of time. 
[ The discussion upon this paper is printed at p. 459] 
ANTIMONIUM SULPHURATUM; OFFICIAL 
AND COMMERCIAL.* 
BY JOHN MOSS, E.C.S., 
Demonstrator in the Laboratory of the Pharmaceutical 
Society of Great Britain. 
To prepare sulphurated antimony, the British 
Pharmacopoeia directs that 10 oz. of black antimony 
shall be boiled with pints of solution of soda 
for two hours with frequent stirring, and occasional 
addition of water to make up for that lost in boiling;. 
then, that the liquor shall be strained off, and slightly 
acidulated with diluted sulphuric acid added gra¬ 
dually—the precipitate washed and dried. 
The same authority describes the product of the 
above process as “ an orange-red powder readily 
dissolved by caustic soda, also by hydrochloric acid 
with the evolution of sulphuretted hydrogen, and 
the separation of a little sulphur. Boiled in water 
with acid tartrate of potash, the resulting solution is 
precipitated orange-red with sulphuretted hydrogen. 
Sixty grains of this preparation, dissolved in hydro¬ 
chloric acid and dropped into water, give a white 
precipitate, which, when washed and dried, weighs 
about 53 grains.” 
* Bead at the Evening Meeting of the Pharmaceutical 
Society of Great Britain, December 4, 1872. 
