PHARMACEUTICAL  NOTES. 
A — in  one  Litre. 
B — in  one  Gallon. 
(A.) 
(B.) 
Chloride  of  Sodium, 
1-36795  Grammes, 
79-692  Grains. 
Chloride  of  Potassium, 
0*00871 
tc 
r\   f  AO 
0-508 
Chloride  of  Magnesium, 
0-51308 
6t 
29-927 
Bromide  of  Magnesium, 
0-01155 
a 
0-673 
Bicarbonate  of  Lime, 
\J  \JOOXV 
u 
a 
Bicarbonate  of  Iron, 
0-00838 
u 
0-488 
a 
Sulphate  of  Lime, 
1-04116 
u 
60-931 
a 
oulpnate  01  boda, 
0-06003 
tc 
3-501 
a 
X  IlUfeUIlcllt;  Ul  kOUtld, 
0-02263 
U 
1-320 
a 
Hyposulphite  of  Soda, 
0-07210 
u 
4-205 
u 
Sulphuret  of  Sodium, 
0-02410 
u 
1-405 
« 
Silicate  of  Soda, 
|  0-19160 
a 
11-176 
a 
and  organic  compounds, 
3-40448 
198-678 
Sulphuretted  \  a  free,  0-0155  Grammes, 
Hydrogen.  /  b  half  combined,  0-0175  " 
Per  Gallon,  5-307  Cubic  Inches. 
PHARMACEUTICAL  NOTES. 
By  Ferdinand  F.  Mayer. 
Calabar  Bean — Its  Alkaloid. — Some  sixty  beans  were  kindly 
contributed  by  Prof.  Torrey  towards  the  preparation  of  the  al- 
kaloid. A  preliminary  examination  proved  that  the  base,  as 
well  as  its  salts,  were  colorless,  and  whenever  they  became 
colored,  a  loss  was  sustained.  To  avoid  evaporation  as  much 
as  possible,  I  adopted  the  following  method :  The  beans  were  re- 
duced to  moderately  fine  powder,  and  repeatedly  digested  with 
85  per  cent,  alcohol,  and  then  displaced  with  alcohol  of  the  same 
strength.  The  tincture  Was  subjected  to  distillation,  while  the 
residual  powder  was  boiled  with'  dilute  sulphuric  acid  until  all 
of  the  starch  had  disappeared.  The  residual  extract  from  the 
tincture  and  the  acid  solution  were  then  mixed,  filtered  and  pre- 
cipitated with  iodohydrargyrate,  the  precipitate  washed  by  de- 
cantation,  transferred  to  a  flask  with  good  stopper,  in  which  it 
was  treated  with  a  strong  solution  of  protochloride  of  tin  in  tar- 
