Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
October,  1910.  / 
Pharmazeutischen  Institut. 
491 
a  very  soluble  and  ideal  migraine  powder  of  true  chemical  combina- 
tion obtained  by  the  condensation  of  molecular  portions  of  benzamid 
and  phenyldimethylpyrazolon.  They  also  claim  that  it  can  be  ad- 
ministered in  one  gramme  doses  several  times  a  day,  is  well  borne, 
and  without  any  untoward  after-effects. 
A  chemical  and  microscopical  examination  of  an  original  package 
of  the  powder  showed  it  to  be  merely  a  mechanical  mixture  of  anti- 
pyrine  and  benzamid.  This  was  later  confirmed  by  mixing  antipy- 
rine  and  benzamid  in  molecular  proportions  and  subjecting  the  mix- 
ture to  the  same  method  of  analysis  as  applied  to  the  original.  The 
results  were  absolutely  the  same. 
Plejapyrin  has  been  withdrawn  from  the  market. 
Pyrenol. — In  the  Apotheker-Zeitung,  Number  100,  1907,  Zernik 
publishes  the  result  of  his  analysis  of  the  above-named  preparation, 
and  states  positively  that  instead  of  being  a  definite  chemical  com- 
pound, as  claimed  by  the  manufacturers,  it  is  simply  a  mixture  of 
well-known  chemicals.  He  also  states  that  the  constitutional  for- 
mula given  by  the  maker  is  scientifically  impossible. 
The  manufacturer,  in  a  written  communication  to  the  Institute, 
takes  exception  to  Zernik's  findings  and  reiterates  that  pyrenol  is  not 
a  mechanical  mixture  but  a  true  chemical  combination  which  he 
terms  "  benzoesaurethymolester  benzoyl-oxybenzoesaure  neutralized 
with  sodium." 
At  the  request  of  Dr.  Thorns,  Professor  Gadamer,  director  of  the 
Pharmaceutical  Institute  of  the  University  of  Breslau,  had  his  assist- 
ant Dr.  Gaebel  undertake  and  carry  out  a  series  of  experiments  and 
complete  analysis  of  an  original  package  of  pyrenol. 
Dr.  Gaebel  gives  in  detail  each  step  of  his  investigation,  and 
concludes  by  stating  that  pyrenol  is  a  mechanical  mixture  of  equal 
parts  of  sodium  salicylate  and  sodium  benzoate  with  1  per  cent,  of 
benzoic  acid  and  not  more  than  0.3  per  cent,  of  thymol. 
This  result  practically  confirms  Zernik's  investigation  and  was  in 
turn  confirmed  by  an  exhaustive  analysis  made  by  Dr.  Thorns 
himself. 
John  K.  Thum. 
