AMERICAN  PHARMACEUTICAL  ASSOCIATION. 
509 
added  to  balsam  adulterated  with  resin,  gives  a  blackish  brown  liquor  with 
abundant  disengagement  of  sulphurous  acid. 
Specimen  No.  6  is  Powdered  Tartar  Emetic. — This  is  largely  contamina 
ted  with  foreign  bodies,  containing  as  much  as  21  per  cent,  of  impurity.- 
The  impurity  in  it  is  doubtless  owing  to  careless  manufacturing,  and  as  this 
article  in  powder  is  often  made  without  proper  and  sufficient  care  being 
used  in  its  manufacture,  it  is  best  for  the  pharmaceutist  to  buy  none  but  the 
crystals,  and  being  assured  of  their  purity,  powder  them  himself. 
The  impurities  most  generally  present  in  tartar  emetic,  are  uncombined 
cream  of  tartar,  chloride  of  calcium,  or  potassium,  and  sulphate  of  potassa. 
It  also  sometimes  contains,  as  accidental  contaminations,  iron  and  tin.  The 
uncombined  cream  of  tartar  may  be  detected  by  an  acid  solution  of  acetate 
of  lead;  the  solution  is  made  of  32  parts  distilled  water,  8  parts cryst.  acetate 
of  lead,  and  15  parts  acetic  acid  of  9  deg.  The  presence  of  cream  of  tartar  is 
shown  by  the  white  precipitate  produced  in  a  solution  of  tart,  emetic  on  ad- 
ding a  small  portion  of  the  lead  reagent. 
Chlorides  of  potassium  or  sodium,  or  chlorhydricacid  may  be  detected  by 
their  affording  a  white  "  curdy"  precipitate  upon  adding  to  a  solution  of  tart, 
emetic  a  jew  drops  solution  nitrate  of  silver.  This  white  precipitate,  if  chlo- 
ride of  silver,  should  be  entirely  soluble  in  ammonia. 
This  specimen  under  examination  contains  8  per  cent,  of  chlorides.  Sul- 
phate of  potassa  may  be  delected  by  the  white  precipitate,  insoluble  in  ni- 
tric acid,  which  is  afforded  by  solution  of  chloride  of  barium  or  nitrate  of 
baryta. 
The  specimen  under  examination  contains  13  per  cent,  of  sulphates. 
Specimen  No.  7  is  Cream  of  Tartar. — This  article  is  one  used  largely 
both  as  a  medicine  and  in  the  preparation  of  food  ;  it  is  worthy  of  careful  con- 
sideration, and  your  Committee  have  given  considerable  attention  to  it. 
Cream  of  Tartar  is  very  largely  adulterated.  Some  of  the  articles  used 
for  the  purpose  are  in  one  sense  harmless;  that  is,  not  injurious  to  health, 
but  many  of  them  are  decidedly  pernieious,  and  all  of  them  are  to  be  con- 
demn ed  because  sold  to  deceive  the  community  and  enrich  the  adulterator. 
Cream  of  tartar  is  adulterated  with  tartrate  of  lime,  chalk,  finely  powder- 
ed white  marble,  sulphate  of  lime,  sand,  nitrate  of  potassa,  alum,  sulphate 
of  soda  and  potassa,  chloride  of  potassium.  It  has  been  found  to  contain,  as 
impurities,  iron,  copper,  lead  and  arsenic. 
The  addition  of  starch,  arrow  root  and  other  amylaceous  substances  is  well 
known,  and  the  specimen  under  examination  is  only  remarkable  from  the 
fact  that  it  contains  63.33  per  cent,  of  farinaceous  substances  as  adulteration. 
This  was  sold  -as  pure  cream  of  tartar.  The  easiest  way  to  detect  the  adul- 
teration with  starch  of  farinaceous  substances,  is  by  testing  a  cold  solution 
of  the  cream  of  tartar  with  solution  of  iodine.  The  characteristic  blue 
"iodine  of  starch"  will  at  once  be  apparent. 
If  we  treat  the  cream  of  tartar  with  boiling  water  we  dissolve  all  soluble 
substances,  leaving  behind  the  tartrate  of  lime,  quartz,  clay,  sand,  sulphate 
of  lime,  and  other  insoluble  impurities. 
Chalk  or  white  marble  may  be  discovered  by  the  effervescence  produced 
by  the  addition  of  a  weak  acid,  as  chlorhydric,  or  nitric. 
Alum  and  sulphates  of  potassa  or  soda  are  shown  to  be  present  by  the 
white  precipitate,  insoluble  in  nitric  acid,  produced  by  solution'of  chloride  of 
barium  ;  if  a  precipitate  is  produced  in  the  same  solution  by  oxalate  of  ammo- 
nia, we  know  that  lime  is  also  present.  Chloride  of  potassium  is  shown, 
by  the  white  u  curdy"  precipitate,  entirely  soluble  in  ammonia,  formed  by 
adding  solution  of  nitrate  of  silver  to  the  cream  of  tartar  solutiou. 
The  iron,  lead,  and  copper  come  from  the  vessels  of  these  metals,  in  which 
he  cream  of  tartar  is  purified. 
