542 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[January 7, 1871 
carbon in prisms. True hydrate of chloral is not 
acted upon by nitrate of silver or by acids. 
Alcoholate of chloral is perfectly soluble in chloro¬ 
form, ether, tetrachloride of carbon, absolute alcohol, 
turpentine, and bisulphide of carbon, and upon heat¬ 
ing does not present any change, nor can I produce 
crystals from these alcoholic solutions. Why, I do 
not quite understand. In cold water alcoholate of 
chloral is nearly insoluble ; and I venture to suggest 
this as a simple test for these two forms of chloral 
compound. 
If twenty grains of the chloral compound is soluble 
in thirty minims of cold chloroform, it is not a hy¬ 
drate ; on the other hand, if the same quantity of 
chloral compound is insoluble in chloroform, I should 
consider it a hydrate,—solubility in cold chloroform 
and partial insolubility in cold water being quite 
sufficient test to lead to doubt; and so in proportion 
to the solubility, should I judge the probable quantity 
of chloroform which the ammonia process would yield. 
Now if the theory of Liebreicli, that the hydrate 
of chloral coming in contact with the alkalies in the 
blood evolves chloroform in the human system, be 
correct, a moment’s glance will soon convince you 
of tlxe immense superiority of samples No. 1, 2 and 
3, and the decided obligation that pharmacists should 
dispense this manufacture only until it can be shown 
that hydrate of chloral of equal composition may be 
procured elsewhere. 
Therapeutical Value .—If we review the pages of 
the medical journals for the therapeutical effects of 
hydrate of chloral, we shall find many cases where 
its action lias been attended with marvellous results. 
There does seem not a little danger of its being 
erected into a kind of panacea for all the ills that 
flesh is heir to, of its true worth and fame suffering 
from too indiscriminate use, and from the adminis¬ 
tration of some of the impure compounds which are 
being supplied. Its value, however, is too real for 
actual collapse by its abuse ; but its repute may be, 
and doubtless has been, dangerously compromised. 
We find it employed in cases of “ maniacal pa¬ 
roxysms,” “ delirium tremens,” “ traumatic tetanus,” 
chorea, diarrhoea, whooping cough, convulsions -(epi¬ 
leptic or otherwise), with more or less benefit; it 
allays vomiting, and prevents sea-sickness ; in puer¬ 
peral mania it is well reported of; in fact, as a sleep 
compeller it is, in a veiy large number of cases, un¬ 
rivalled ; for while in power opium alone can be com¬ 
pared with it, there is this superiority to opium, that 
its use entails no unpleasant after symptoms, no head¬ 
ache, no nausea, no anorexia, no constipation, whilst 
6 
£ 
® 
S 
cS 
m 
Manufacturers, 
or by whom supplied. 
Boiling 
Point. 
Chloro¬ 
form 
Layer. 
Percentage of Chlo" j 
roform produced 
from 5' 0 grains of 
the chloral com¬ 
pound. 
\ 
/ 
o5 
Centigr. 
Grains. 
1 
At 
97° 
240 
357’6 grains, 
Cj 
o 
or 71 p.c. (71-5) 
Hydrate of Chloral, 
prepared under 
o 
) the supervision of 
CD 
L 
Dr. Liehreich, by 
Ti 
sr 
96-5° 
240 
357'6 grains, 
Dr. Martius and 
Dr. P. Mendels- 
o 
Ph 
or 71 p.c. (71*5) 
sohn Bartholdy, 
. 
3 
of Berlin. 
'"S 
98° 
235 
351*7 grains, 
) 
?H 
or 70p.c. (70*3) 
v O 
- 
4 
Manufactured by 
100-5° 
190 
283-1 grains, 
Messrs. De Hane and 
or57p.c. (56 - 6) 
Co., Hanover.—Cake. 
5 
From Messrs. T. Mor- 
10T 
190 
283-1 grains, 
son and Son, London. 
or 57 p.c. (56-6) 
—Crystal. 
6 
Manufactured by 
100° 
190 
283*1 grains, 
Messrs. Dunn, Squire 
or57p.c. (5G-6) 
and Co., London. 
— 
Cake. 
7 
Supplied by Messrs. 
100-5° 
190 
283-1 grains, 
Schoetensack and Co., 
or 57 p. c. (56-6) 
London.—Cake. 
8 
Manufactured by 
105° 
185 
275*6 grains, 
Messrs. De Hane and 
or 56 p.c. (55'6) 
Co.—Crystal. 
£ 
Manufactured by 
110° 
180 
268-2 grains, 
Messrs. Gehe and Co., 
or 54p.c. (53-6) 
Dresden.—Crystal. 
General Remarks. 
A crystalline cake, white, easily powdered, with an agree¬ 
able melon odour, slightly pungent. Soluble in water, 
ether, alcohol; insoluble in chloroform, carbon fetra- 
chlor.; partially soluble in turpentine, and bisulph. 
carbon without heat. With heat, dissolves and, on 
cooling, needle crystals are formed, except in the case 
of bisulph. carb., which seems, as it were, to gelati¬ 
nize it. 
A white powder. Results same as above. 
Bright rhomboid crystals, melon smell, more pungent. 
Results as above. 
Semi-transparent crystalline cake, rather hard, slightly 
deliquescent, much more pungent smell, caustic. So¬ 
luble in water, ether (with slight effervescence), alco¬ 
hol ; insoluble in chloroform, carbon tetracklor., 
bisulph. carbon, and turpentine (slightly), without 
heat; with heat, soluble in all, and upon cooling crys¬ 
tallizes. 
Thin, deliquescent, colourless, crystalline plates (in ap¬ 
pearance resembling potass, chlor.), slightly pungent, 
melon smell. Soluble in water (with argent, nit. shows 
slight opalescence), ether, alcohol; insoluble in chloro¬ 
form, carb. tetrachlor., turpentine, bisulph. carb., etc. 
Hard, thick flakes, very white, pungent melon smell. 
Soluble in water, ether (but soon turbid), carbon 
tetrachlor. (on heating separated), alcohol (heat no 
change); insoluble in chloroform, turpentine (with heat 
deposit at the bottom of the tube), bisulph. carb.; sepa¬ 
rates, and heat will not combine. 
Hard white crystal cakes, very pungent. Soluble in water, 
alcohol, ether (with slight effervescence), partly soluble 
in turpentine, bisulph. carb.; insoluble in chloroform. 
On the application of heat, when cooled the ether solu¬ 
tion shows fine needle crystals, the bisulph. carb. solu¬ 
tion solidifies. 
A white crystalline powder, slightly deliquescent. So¬ 
luble in water, ether, alcohol; insoluble in chloroform, 
carbon tetrachlor., turpentine, bisulph. carbon. 
Transparent needle crystals, caustic, rather deliquescent, 
slight smell. Very soluble in chloroform, ether, carbon 
tetrachlor. (crystals formed again without heat), alco¬ 
hol, turpentine and bisulph. carbon (crystallizes at 
bottom), partly soluble in water. 
