Am.  Joar.  Pharm.  \ 
March,  1908.  J 
Progress  in  Pharmacy. 
139 
Uganda  aloes,  but  only  the  merest  traces  of  it  exist  naturally  in 
Barbadoes  aloes  or  other  aloes  rich  in  crystallizable  aloins.  {Chem. 
and  Drug.,  January  1 1,  1908,  page  48,  from  Jour,  de  .Pharm.  et  de 
Chem) 
Estimation  of  Eucalyptol  in  Oil  of  Eucalyptus. — Schimmel  &  Co., 
in  their  semi-annual  report,  for  October  1 907,  give  the  following 
easily  applied  method  for  estimating  the  amount  of  eucalyptol  in  oil 
of  eucalyptus  : 
"  Ten  cubic  centimeters  of  the  oil  containing  eucalyptol  are  mixed 
in  a  cassia  flask  of  ico  c.c.  capacity  with  so  much  of  a  50  per  cent, 
resorcinol  solution  that  the  flask  is  filled  for  about  four-fifths  of  its 
capacity.  The  mixture  is  then  thoroughly  shaken  for  five  minutes, 
and  the  oil  portions  which  have  not  entered  into  reaction  are  brought 
into  the  neck  of  the  flask  by  adding  resorcinol  solution,  and  their 
volume  determined.  By  subtracting  this  volume  from  ten,  the 
eucalyptol  content  of  the  oil  is  obtained ;  this  is  then  expressed  in 
percent,  by  volume  by  multiplying  by  ten." 
Oils  very  rich  in  eucalyptol  are  suitably  diluted  beforehand  with 
an  equal  volume  of  turpentine  oil,  as  otherwise  the  eucalyptol 
resorcinol  might  crystallize  out  and  cause  the  whole  liquid  to 
solidify. 
Determination  of  Eucalyptol. — C.  T.  Bennett  has  experimented  with 
the  resorcinol  method  for  the  determination  of  eucalyptol  in  oil  of 
eucalyptus,  and  finds  that  it  gives  results  that  are  quite  misleading. 
Bennett  finds  that  the  use  of  resorcinol  solution  gives  results  that 
are  from  25  to  50  per  cent,  too  high.  The  process  of  estimation 
given  in  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia,  on  the  other  hand,  Ben- 
nett finds,  gives  results  that  are  invariably  too  low.  (Chem.  and 
Drug.,  January  1 1,  1908,  page  55). 
Eucerine.— Unna  claims  that  wool-fat  does  not  owe  its  power  of 
absorbing  water  to  its  cholesterin  ethers,  as  stated  by  Dietrich,  but  to 
its  free  cholesterin  and  oxycholesterins ;  the  oxycholesterins  and  their 
derivatives  are  free  from  odor  and  are  unalterable,  while  the  odor 
and  gradual  hardening  of  wool-fat  is  due  to  the  cholesterin  group  of 
bodies.  Unna  has  separated  the  oxycholesterin  group  of  bodies  and 
terms  a  mixture  of  5  per  cent,  of  them  with  95  per  cent,  of  paraffin, 
anhydrous  eucerine,  mixed  with  its  own  weight  of  water.  This  is 
eucerine,  which  is  claimed  to  be  an  ideal  ointment  base  for  the  exhi- 
bition of  numerous  substances  that  are  to  be  absorbed.  {Chem. 
and  Drug.,  January  11,  1908,  page  48.) 
