Am.  Jour.  Pharrn. 
April,  1902. 
Liquid  Soaps. 
173 
thus  facilitate,  not  alone  their  removal  but  also  the  removal  of  any 
microorganisms  that  may  have  found  shelter  under  or  along  their 
edges. 
Theoretically  this  soap  was  very  good,  and  practically  it  did  all 
that  was  claimed  for  it.  The  free  alkali  that  was  present,  while 
strong,  did  not  appear  to  be  particularly  injurious,  and  the  soap 
could  be  used  repeatedly  without  any  material  injury  to  the  skin. 
The  great  objection,  from  our  point  of  view,  was  the  price ;  and 
while  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  the  manufacturers  of  such  an 
article  would  devise  a  formula  and  spend  large  sums  of  money 
advertising  the  finished  product  without  expecting  some  very  mate- 
rial returns  in  the  shape  of  profit,  nevertheless,  we  felt  that  we  had. 
the  right  to  get  together  something  that  would  answer  our  purpose 
as  well,  at  less  cost. 
The  formula  that  we  finally  determined  on  is  a  solution  of  a  soda 
soap  in  dilute  alcohol.  Probably  the  only  advantage  that  soda 
would  have  to  offer  in  place  of  potash  is  the  saving  in  price — soda 
being  about  50  per  cent,  stronger  as  an  alkali,  and  costing,  pound 
for  pound,  about  half  as  much. 
The  formula  now  used  is  as  follows  : 
Cottonseed  oil  .  300 
Alcohol  300 
Water  ,   ...  325 
Sodium  hydrate  45 
Potassium  carbonate    10 
Ether  .15 
Carbolic  acid  25 
The  necessary  technic  of  the  formula  is  very  simple.  To  the  oil 
contained  in  a  bottle  of  sufficient  size,  add  100  c.c.  of  water  and 
200  c.c.  of  alcohol;  add  the  sodium  hydrate  and  shake,  or  stir  occa- 
sionally until  saponification  has  taken  place,  then  add  the  remaining 
portions  of  the  alcohol,  and  the  potassium  carbonate  dissolved  in 
the  water ;  lastly,  add  the  carbolic  acid  and  the  ether  and  mix  or 
shake  well. 
Keep  in  well-corked  vials  to  prevent  evaporation  of  the  alcohol. 
It  is  advisable  to  keep  the  soap  at  a  temperature  not  below  10°  or 
12°  C,  so  as  to  prevent  solidification,  although  this  does  no  perma- 
nent harm,  as  the  soap  will  liquefy  again  if  placed  in  a  warm  place 
for  an  hour  or  more.  The  soap  obtained  by  this  process  is  a  light 
yellow  liquid,  with  a  not  unpleasant  ethereal  odor,  and  a  distinctly 
