SPONTANEOUS  DECOMPOSITION  OF  PYROXYLIN. 
19 
ferent  localities,  likely  to  be  of  advantage  to  the  Association  in 
promoting  the  objects  it  has  in  view  ? 
"  5th,  Are  there  any  State  laws  for  the  protection  of  the  in- 
terests of  the  profession  of  Pharmacy,  for  the  suppressing  of  Em- 
pyricism,  or  in  reference  to  the  sale  of  poisons?" 
Mr.  C.  A.  Smith,  of  Cincinnati,  offered  the  following  resolu- 
tion, which  was  read  and  adopted. 
"  Resolved,  that  the  thanks  of  the  Convention  be  presented  to 
the  President  and  Secretary,  for  the  able  manner  in  which  they 
have  performed  the  duties  of  their  offices,  and  also  to  the  Phila- 
delphia College  of  Pharmacy,  for  the  hospitality  extended  towards 
us." 
On  motion  of  Mr.  Parrish  it  was  voted,  that  the  officers  of 
this  Convention,  not  specially  elected  under  the  Constitution,  be 
considered  the  officers  of  the  American  Pharmaceutical  Association 
until  the  election  at  the  meeting  of  next  year — when  the  Con- 
vention finally  adjourned. 
George  D.  Coggeshall, 
Recording  Secretary. 
ON  THE  SPONTANEOUS  DECOMPOSITION  OF  PYROXYLIN, 
(GUN  COTTON.) 
To  the  Editor  of  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy  : 
About  six  months  ago,  I  prepared  a  quantity  of  gun-cotton,  ac- 
cording to  the  formula  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia;  and  put  it  into  a 
wide-mouthed  bottle,  which  was  furnished  with  an  accurate  stop- 
per. 
Having  had  occasion  to  examine  it  the  other  day,  I  found  the  up- 
per portion  of  the  bottle  completely  filled  with  nitrous  acid  gas,  and 
the  lower  portion  of  the  cork  changed  into  Suberic  acid. 
After  exposing  it  for  sometime  to  the  air,  and  allowing  the  nitrous 
acid  to  escape,  I  tried  to  dissolve  a  little  of  it  in  a  mixture  of 
ether  and  alcohol,  but  found  it  totally  insoluble:  another  portion 
I  ignited,  but  found  it  to  be  entirely  divested  of  its  explosive  pro- 
perties. 
It  will  be  evident  from  this,  that  in  order  to  make  good  Collo- 
dion, the  gun-cotton  must  be  recently  prepared  ;  and  in  no  case 
ought  it  to  be  kept  in  a  bottle  furnished  with  a  cork  stopper :  and 
