AmMJa°rch,Xrm'}  Progress  in  Pharmacy.  137 
Soluble  Adrenalin  Powder.— Mansier  (Schweiz.  Woch.f.  Chem. 
u.  Phar.,  1904,  page  46),  gives  the  following  formula  for  a  compound 
powder  of  adrenalin  that  he  claims  to  be  readily  soluble  in  water: 
Adrenalin,  0  05  ;  citric  acid,  o-io;  boric  acid,  4-85;  mix.  One 
centigramme  of  this  powder  corresponds  to  10  drops  of  a  I  /1000 
solution. 
Subcutine  is  the  name  given  to  the  paraphenol  sulphonate  of 
anaesthesine,  or  the  paraphenol  sulphonate  of  para  amido  benzoic 
ethyl  ester.  Subcutine  occurs  in  small  white  needles,  melting  at 
I95'6°  C,  and  is  soluble  in  100  times  its  weight  of  water.  Subcutine 
is  not  decomposed  by  boiling,  so  that  solutions  of  it  may  be  steril- 
ized. It  is  said  to  be  a  powerful  local  anaesthetic  and  quite  devoid 
of  any  toxic  action.  {Phar.  your.,  1904,  page  99,  from  Muench.  Med. 
Wochenschr.) 
Synthesis  of  Nicotine.— Pictet  and  Rotschy  have  succeeded  in 
producing  nicotine  synthetically.  This  has  been  accomplished  by 
treating  nicotyrine  in  alkaline  solution  with  iodine,  thus  producing 
a  monoiodnicotyrine ;  by  treating  this  with  tin  and  hydrochloric 
acid  they  are  able  to  produce  a  dihydronicotyrine,  which,  when 
treated  with  bromine,  is  converted  into  a  perbromide.  The  per- 
bromide  is  then  reduced  with  tin  and  hydrochloric  acid,  and  is  con- 
verted into  inactive  nicotine. 
For  splitting  this  inactive  nicotine  into  its  optically  active  com- 
ponents, tartaric  acid  is  used.  The  physical  properties  of  synthetic 
nicotine  are  said  to  be  identical  with  those  of  the  natural.  (Phar. 
Centralh.,  1903,  page  756.) 
Trigemin  is  produced  by  the  action  of  butyl  chloral  hydrate  on 
pyramidon.  It  occurs  as  white  needle-like  crystals  readily  soluble 
in  water.  Trigemin  when  given  in  doses  of  from  0-50  to  1-20,  is 
said  to  be  particularly  effective  as  a  remedy  in  migraine  and  facial 
neuralgia.    (Phar.  Centralh.,  1903,  page  680.) 
Paraganglin  is  one  of  a  number  of  trade  names  for  the  active  con- 
stituent of  suprarenal  glands.    (Phar.  Post,  1903,  page  781.) 
Yeast  Extract  Substitutes  for  Meat  Extracts  appear  to  have 
found  their  way  into  the  English  market.  A.  Searl  (Phar.  Jour., 
1903)  gives  the  following  ready  means  of  detecting  yeast  extracts: 
Prepare  a  modified  Fehling's  solution  by  dissolving  12  0  gm.  of 
cupric  sulphate  and  15-0  gm.  of  neutral  sodium  tartrate  in  1200 
gm.  of  water;  add  to  this  15-0  gm.  of  sodium  hydrate  that  has 
