Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Jan.,  1889. 
Analytical  Notes. 
11 
phide,  a  slight  black  precipitate,  and  the  filtrate  a  slight  white  precipi- 
tate with  ammonium  phosphate.  Sodium  was  the  remaining  base 
found,  and  besides  carbonic,  no  other  acid  could  be  detected.  The 
powders  consist  of  commercial  sodium  bicarbonate,  one  of  them  being 
colored  with  a  little  carmine. 
An  analysis  of  a  so-called  invisible  toilet  powder  was  made  by  Owen 
C.  Spear, Ph.  G.  Ether  dissolved  the  volatile  oil,  and  on  evaporation 
left  a  trifling  amount  of  fatty  matter.  When  ignited  the  odor  of  burn- 
ing sugar  was  given  off.  Cold  water  took  up  nothing  ;  on  boiling  with 
water  and  cooling  a  gelatinous  liquid  was  formed,  which  turned  blue 
with  iodine.  After  exhausting  with  boiling  water,  the  residuary  pow- 
der did  not  blacken  when  ignited  ;  hydrochloric  acid  dissolved  a  por- 
tion of  this  residue,  containing  Zn  and  a  little  Fe,  Al  and  Ca,  but  no 
other  metals.  The  undissolved  powder  was  ignited  with  Na2C03,  then 
treated  with  water  and  HC1,  when  the  presence  of  silica  and  magnesia, 
with  traces  of  Fe  and  Al  was  shown.  The  toilet  powder  proved  to  be 
a  mixture  of  starch,  talc,  zinc  oxide  and  calcium  carbonate. 
For  quantative  analysis  the  powder  was  ignited  and  the  starch  esti- 
mated by  the  loss.  Treatment  of  the  residue  with  HC1  left  the  talc 
undissolved  ;  the  solution  treated  with  ammonia  yielded  a  precipitate, 
which  after  ignition  was  weighed  as  Fe203  and  Al2Os.  From  the  am- 
moniacal  filtrate  the  zinc  was  precipitated  by  NH4HS,  converted  into 
chloride,  precipitated  as  carbonate,  and  weighed  as  oxide.  The  lime 
was  precipitated  from  the  mother  liquor,  and  weighed  as  carbonate. 
The  analytical  results  were  : 
Starch   18  02 
Talc  •  49-42 
Alumina  and  ferric  oxide   1*37 
Zinc  oxide   2976 
Calcium  carbonate   1-43 
100-00 
The  toilet  powder  was  probably  made  by  mixing  together  commer- 
cial starch  18,  talc  52,  and  zinc  oxide  30  parts. 
To  remove  hiccough,  Dr.  Bottrich  (Therap.  Monatsh.,  June,  1888,) 
has  found  the  best  proceeding,  to  take  a  very  deep  inspiration  and  hold  the 
breath  as  long  as  possible.  If  the  breath  be  kept  just  past  a  rising  singultus? 
the  latter  generally  ceases. 
