156        Opium  from  the  Commercial  Standpoint.    { Am  a Jrn"  wo7.rm- 
former.  For  that  reason  we  did  not  deem  it  necessary  to  verify  the 
general  applicability  of  our  method  to  preparations  containing 
phenacetin.  (One  cubic  centimeter  of  N  /  1  sodium  hydroxide  is 
equivalent  to  0*17779  gramme  phenacetin.) 
The  simultaneous  presence  of  acetanilid  and  phenacetin,  as  well 
as  other  acetylized  compounds,  in  the  same  preparation  would,  of 
course,  prevent  the  use  of  this  method.  The  authors,  however,  are 
engaged  in  working  out  a  method  for  the  quantitative  separation  of 
acetanilid  or  phenacetin  from  other  acetylized  compounds  in  pharma- 
ceutical preparations,  the  results  of  which  will  be  contributed  in  a 
later  communication. 
Other  interferences  which  should  be  mentioned  are  acetates, 
nitrates,  and  nitrites.  These  salts,  if  present  in  the  mixture  to  be 
analyzed,  would  be  left  behind  by  means  of  the  chloroform  extrac- 
tion, but  their  presence  in  the  phosphoric  acid  or  in  the  alkali  used 
for  saponification  must  be  guarded  against.  The  presence  of  chlor- 
ides does  not  interfere  with  the  results  of  analysis,  as  the  phosphoric 
acid  cannot  liberate  the  hydrochloric  acid  from  its  salts,  and  in  this 
particular  lies  the  advantage  of  phosphoric  acid  over  the  sulphuric 
acid  used  by  Erdmann  and  Schultz. 
Finally,  if  carbonate  be  present  in  the  alkali  used  for  saponifica- 
tion, the  carbon  dioxide  formed  on  addition  of  phosphoric  acid 
must  be  guarded  against,  as  it  would  be  distilled  over  with  the 
acetic  acid  and  vitiate  the  result  of  the  titration.  To  this  end,  it  is 
advisable  to  heat  the  acidified  solution  to  boiling  for  a  short  time, 
under  a  well-cooled  reflux  condenser,  before  the  distillation  with 
steam,  in  order  to  drive  off  the  carbonic  acid  gas. 
All  stoppers  and  connections  must  be  of  rubber,  as  cork  absorbs 
acetic  acid. 
Research  Laboratory  of  the 
H.  K.  Mulford  Co. 
SOME  NOTES  ON  OPIUM  FROM  THE  COMMERCIAL 
STANDPOINT. 
By  C.  M.  KXine. 
For  the  benefit  of  those  not  very  familiar  with  opium  the  writer 
offers  this  preliminary  paragraph.    Opium  is  produced  by  many 
