2i4  Analysis  of  Rhinitis  Tablets.        {Am'M°ayr'  jw™' 
ANALYSIS  OF  RHINITIS  TABLETS. 
By  Reginald  Miller. 
Camphor. — Weigh  100  tablets,  powder  eleven  and  take  a  weight 
of  the  powder  corresponding  to  10  tablets,  add  an  equal  volume  of 
clean  sand,  extract  with  ethyl  ether1  (using  a  small  beaker  to  hold 
the  mixture  of  powder  and  sand)  and  decant  through  a  small  filter 
paper.  Collect  the  filtrate  in  a  weighed  glass  dish  and  evaporate  to 
about  5  mils  at  a  temperature  around  6o°  C,  allowing  an  electric 
fan  to  blow  a  current  of  air  over  the  dish  to  hasten  evaporation  and 
to  maintain  a  low  temperature.  The  remaining  5  mils  are  evaporated 
spontaneously. 
Weigh  the  dish  and  residue  immediately  upon  drying2  and  call 
this  weight  A.  The  dish  with  residue  after  weighing  is  heated  at 
ioo°  C.  until  the  odor  of  camphor  is  no  longer  perceptible,  cool, 
weigh,  subtract  this  weight  from  weight  (A).  The  difference  rep- 
resents the  camphor  in  ten  tablets.  (A  correction  may  be  neces- 
sary, due  to  volatilization  of  camphor.)2 
Quinine  Sulphate. — The  powder  remaining  in  the  beaker  is  ex- 
tracted with  a  mixture  of  chloroform  and  absolute  alcohol,3  decant 
through  the  filter  paper  used  in  the  camphor  determination,  collect 
filtrate  in  a  weighed  glass  dish,  evaporate  the  solvent  and  dry  at 
no°  C.  until  a  constant  weight  is  obtained.4    From  this  weight  com- 
1  Use  portions  of  ether  of  about  10  mils  each  and  make  about  5  or  6 
extractions,  always  allowing  the  powder  to  settle  before  decantation. 
2  The  camphor  is  quite  volatile,  hence  the  immediate  weighing.  The  loss 
should  be  determined  by  treating  a  weighed  portion  of  camphor  under  the 
same  conditions  on  the  steam  bath  alongside  of  the  sample,  and  then  making 
corrections  accordingly. 
3  The  mixture  consists  of  two  volumes  of  chloroform  and  one  volume  of 
absolute  alcohol.    About  5  or  6  extractions  of  10  mils  each  will  suffice. 
4  The  U.  S.  P.  (9th  edition)  allows  for  a  loss  of  16.2  per  cent,  in  weight, 
whereas  the  actual  amount  of  water  present  is  1445  per  cent.  It  therefore 
is  necessary  to  compute  the  quinine  sulphate  on  both  bases,  and  accept  the 
figure  which  is  nearer  the  amount  supposed  to  be  present.  Calculate  as 
follows  : 
(100 — 16.2)  :  100 ::  wt.  of  residue:  x  —  x  =  U.  S.  P.  quinine  sulphate  allow- 
ing a  loss  of  16.2  per  cent. 
(100 — 14.5)  :  100 ::  wt.  of  residue:  x  —  ,f  =  U.  S.  P.  quinine  sulphate  allow- 
ing a  loss  of  14.45  Per  cent. 
