AFehT°nIvyP,imm'}        A  Good  Method  Made  Worthless.  61 
A  GOOD  METHOD  MADE  WORTHLESS  BY  UNWAR- 
RANTED MODIFICATIONS. 
By  H.  M.  Gordin. 
The  method  adopted  by  the  U.S.P.  1900  for  the  estimation  of 
strychnine  in  nux  vomica  has  been  pronounced  unreliable  by  many 
chemists  who  have  given  the  method  a  fair  trial.  A  review  of  the 
work  of  several  analysts  on  the  verification  of  the  method  is  given 
in  the  January  number  of  this  Journal  by  Webster  and  Pursel,  who 
find  that  when  the  directions  of  the  U.S.P.  are  followed  and  a  nitric 
acid  having  the  specific  gravity  1-40  is  used  in  the  method  the 
results  are  perfectly  erratic,  while  if  an  acid  is  used  having  the 
specific  gravity  1-42  the  results  obtained  are  very  good.  Under  the 
generally  prevailing  impression  that  the  U.S.P.  method  is  identical 
with  the  one  published  by  me  in  1902  (see  Proc.  Am.  Ph.  A.,  1 902, 
336,  and  Arch.  Pharm.,  1902,  641)  the  chemists,  in  criticizing  the 
method,  frequently  refer  to  it  as  Gordin's  method.  I  am  therefore 
compelled  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  the  directions  in  the  U.S.P. 
method  are  different  from  those  I  gave  in  my  original  paper,  and 
that  the  Committee  of  Revision  has  without  any  good  reason  and 
moreover,  in  spite  of  my  vigorous  protest,  modified  my  method  in 
such  a  way  as  to  ruin  it  completely.  On  looking  up  my  method 
as  given  in  the  above  named  references  it  will  be  seen  that  I  direct 
to  use  a  nitric  acid  having  the  specific  gravity  1*42  and  to  add  a 
little  amyl  alcohol  at  the  end  of  the  evaporation  of  the  alkaloidal 
solution  in  order  to  avoid  loss  through  spurting.  The  Committee 
left  the  amyl  alcohol  out  entirely  and  changed  the  strength  of  the 
nitric  acid  from  1-42  to  1-40.  As  according  to  Lunge  and  Rey 
these  two  specific  gravities  correspond  respectively  to  69  8  and  65*3 
per  cent,  of  absolute  HN03,  the  stronger'acid  cannot  be  replaced  by 
the  weaker  without  destroying  the  whole  value  of  the  method. 
While  in  changing  my  method  the  Committee  was  undoubtedly 
animated  by  a  praiseworthy  desire  to  make  it  simpler,  it  ought  to 
be  clear  to  the  members  of  the  Committee  by  this  time  that  for  the 
credit  of  the  authority  of  the  U.S.P.  it  is  absolutely  imperative  that 
the  strychnine  assay  should  be  without  delay  replaced  by  the  one 
I  have  given  in  my  paper.  As  an  acid  of  the  specific  gravity  142 
can  be  obtained  from  any  wholesale  house  and  the  simple  addition 
of  a  few  drops  amyl  alcohol  effectively  prevents  possible  loss  of 
strychnine,  there  can  be  no  reason  why  the  method  should  not  be 
