286 
Amber  Guaiac. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm 
June,  1869. 
SO-CALLED  AMBEE  GUAIAC. 
By  C.  Carroll  Meyer,  Ph.  G. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  May  21st. 
A  short  time  ago  I  received  some  guaiac  from  a  prominent  whole- 
sale drug  house,  which  was  so  entirely  different  in  appearance  from 
that  usually  found  in  the  market  (being  perfectly  clear  and  free  from 
pieces  of  wood  and  bark),  I  concluded  to  see  if  it  was  pure  guaiac. 
The  name  given  it  by  the  trade  is  amber  guaiac.  Its  slight  resem- 
blance to  black  pitch  (pix  nigra),  caused  me  to  think  pitch  was  a  pos- 
sible adulterant,  also  its  transparency  might  be  due  to  resin  (Re- 
sina,  U.  S.  P.).  A  given  quantity  of  amber  guaiac  and  black  pitch  were 
treated  separately  in  solution  of  potassa,  amber  guaiac  being  com- 
pletely soluble,  black  pitch  but  slightly.  Then  on  burning  the  two 
there  is  an  entirely  different  odor,  showing  pitch  not  to  be  an  adulter- 
ant. The  amber  guaiac  was  treated  with  hot  oil  of  turpentine,  and 
remained  undissolved,  showing  it  was  not  mixed  with  resin. 
Four  fluidounces  of  tincture  were  made  up  with  amber  guaiac  and 
ordinary  guaiac;  275  grains  of  guaiac  of  the  shops  was  used  to  make  4 
oz.  of  tincture  (that  being  about  the  strength  of  U.  $.  P.).  It  was  left 
standing  for  over  two  weeks,  being  agitated  frequently,  filtered  through 
tared  filter  paper,  and  found  to  leave  102|  grs.  undissolved,  a  little 
over  sixty  per  cent,  of  the  guaiac  used  being  soluble. 
The  same  quantity  of  amber  guaiac  was  treated  in  same  manner,  and 
found  to  be  almost  completely  soluble,  leaving  about  14  grs.  or  five 
per  cent,  undissolved.  Amber  guaiac  is  also  completely  soluble  in  aro- 
matic siript  of  ammonia,  and  the  tincture  gives  the  characteristic  blue 
color  with  fumes  of  nitric  acid. 
The  U.  S.  Dispensatory,  page  730  states,  amber  is  said  to  be  an  adul- 
teration. Professor  Maisch  states  in  his  "  Materia  Medica,"  that  amber 
is  almost  insoluble  in  alcohol,  and  as  amber  guaiac  is  almost  completely 
soluble,  that  proves  amber  is  not  an  adulterant.  Now  the  point  I  wish 
to  make  is  this  :  If  we  can  get  guaiac  that  is  so  soluble  should  we  not 
use  less  in  making  the  officinal  tincture  ? 
Philadelphia  5,  21,  1889. 
Toothache  drops. — Morphine  acetate,  £-1  grain ;  oil  of  peppermint, 
5  drops;  phenol,  20  drops;  collodion,  1  drachm.  Apply  with  cotton. — 
Jour,  de  Med. 
