NOTE  ON  CHLORODYNE. 
17 
NOTE  ON  CHLORODYNE. 
By  Charles  Bullock. 
[Some  time  ago  the  late  Dr.  Franklin  Bache  presented  us  with  a  blue 
vial  of  "  chlorodyne  as  introduced  by  Dr.  J.  Collis  Browne/'  &c,  &c, 
"manufactured  by  J.  T.  Davenport,  33  Great  Russell  St.,  Bloomsbury, 
London/7  which  had  been  sent  to  him.  The  vial  had  a  glass  stopper,  and 
was  tied  over  with  skin.  Mr.  Bullock  being  engaged  in  an  attempt  to 
produce  <l  chlorodyne"  by  the  recipe  published  in  the  Chemist  and  Drug- 
gist, Feb.  15th,  1860,  the  above  specimen  was  submitted  to  him  for  com- 
parison with  his  product.  In  justice  it  should  be  said  that  the  vial  had 
never  been  opened,  but  gave  indications  of  not  being  so  tight  as  to  pre- 
vent loss  of  hydrocyanic  acid,  yet  it  was  too  nearly  full  to  admit  of  much 
waste  of  chloroform.  The  following  note  from  Mr.  B.  gives  the  result  of 
his  examination. — Ed.  Am.  Jour,  Pharm.] 
Philadelphia,  Nov.  9,  1864. 
Wm.  Procter,  Jr.  : — 
I  herewith  return  the  bottle  of  chlorodyne,  and  am  much 
obliged  for  the  opportunity  of  inspecting  "Davenport's  original,' ' 
as  introduced  by  Dr.  J.  Collis  Browne,  Army  Medical  Staff." 
What  is  chlorodyne  ?  Those  who  have  attempted  to  put  to- 
gether the  supposed  ingredients  after  the  instructions  of  Dr. 
Ogden,  (Vide  Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,  vol.  xxxii.  pp.  181  and  834,) 
have  doubtless  found  that  the  pharmaceutist  "  was  not  at  home" 
when  the  recipe  was  devised. 
Perchlorate  of  morphia  is  almost  entirely  insoluble  in  chloro- 
form, and  the  addition  of  the  other  ingredients  mentioned  in  the 
recipe  will  not  cause  the  morphia  to  be  retained  in  solution. 
The  amount  of  chloroform  directed  is  evidently  much  in  excess 
of  what  is  contained  in  Davenport's  chlorodyne. 
A  portion  of  chlorodyne  was  agitated  with  absolute  alcohol, 
and  the  alcohol  decanted  from  the  viscid  residue,  insoluble  in 
this  menstruum. 
The  alcoholic  solution,  when  mixed  with  water,  occasioned 
but  a  faint  cloudiness,  indicating  that  oily  or  resinous  substances 
were  present  only  in  minute  quantities. 
A  solution  of  nitrate  of  silver,  added  to  the  alcohol,  rendered 
it  slightly  turbid ;  a  few  drops  of  ammonia  made  the  solution 
clear  again.  Hydrocyanic  acid  was  thus  shown  to  be  absent  in 
this  specimen.  After  dilution  with  water,  carb.  of  soda  did  not 
affect  the  alcoholic  solution. 
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