Du Mez—The Galenical Oleoresins. 
977 
tent by the manufacturer. This statement is based upon the 
examination of a number of commercial samples purchased at 
various times during the past ten years. While the reason for 
the above condition does not become apparent from the litera¬ 
ture, it is thought that it is to be attributed to the fact that 
acetone yields a product of inferior quality, rather than to the 
relatively low cost of ether. In support of this supposition, at¬ 
tention is called to the statement of Dunn (1909), who reports 
that it is necessary to purify the oleoresin made with acetone 
by dissolving the same in ether, also, to the observations made in 
the laboratory. 
Experiments conducted in the laboratory have shown that 
the oleoresin, when prepared with acetone, is brown in color and 
always contains considerable deposited matter. While the greater 
bulk of the deposited material has the appearance of extractive 
matter and is very likely of no consequence from a therapeutical 
standpoint, portions of it answer to the descriptions of filixnigrin 
and filix acid, decomposition products of the therapeutically 
active constituents. The latter observation is in keeping with 
that of Kraft (1902), who found that filmaron, the most im¬ 
portant of the therapeutically active constituents, decomposes 
in acetone solution yielding the above mentioned decomposition 
products. It was also noted that the amount of deposited 
material increases much more rapidly in the preparations made 
with acetone than in those in which ether was used as the men¬ 
struum for extracting the drug. 
As previously stated, ether has proven to be the more sat¬ 
isfactory solvent for scientific as well as economic reasons. In 
fact it has been found to be superior to any of the solvents 
which have been experimented with in this connection, namely: 
benzin, benzene, chloroform and carbon disulphide. See Part I, 
page 921, under ‘ ‘ Solvents. ’ ’ At the present time, it is the sol¬ 
vent universally employed in the manufacture of the oleoresin, 
which is in itself a good reason for its adoption by the Pharma¬ 
copoeia. Furthermore, the product obtained with ether is 
perfectly homogenous and forms a deposit only after long 
standing, the constituents of therapeutic value evidently under¬ 
going no decomposition in ethereal solution. However, the 
quality of the preparation, even when ether is employed in ex^ 
tracting the drug, is influenced to a certain extent by the purity 
of the solvent. 
62—S. A. L. 
