43  2 
Liquor  Potass*. 
(  A.m.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\       Sept.,  1878. 
solution  of  iodine  in  iodide  of  potassium  was  carefully  added  ;  berberina 
threw  down  a  precipitate  of  beautiful  green  spangles,  while  the  other 
deposited  a  reddish-brown  crystalline  precipitate.  The  dark-brown  sub- 
stance having  a  sweet,  honey  like  odor,  above  referred  to,  was  readily 
soluble  in  ether  and  in  hot  and  cold  alcohol  ;  insoluble  in  petroleum 
benzin  ;  soluble  in  caustic  potassa,  which  solution  was  not  precipitated 
by  muriatic  or  sulphuric  acid.  The  etherial  solution,  on  evaporation, 
yielded  a  powder  of  a  brown  color. 
The  filtrate  from  the  first  precipitate  obtained  with  sulphuric  acid 
gave  a  precipitate  with  ammonia  water  which  was  not  re-dissolved  on 
adding  an  excess.  The  sulphuric  acid  was  removed  with  carbonate  of 
barium ;  the  liquid  acidulated  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  treated  with 
Mayer's  test  gave  a  heavy  precipitate  of  a  light-yellow  color.  The 
filtrate  rendered  alkaline  by  ammonia,  and  agitated  with  ether,  it  was 
found  not  to  take  up  anything.  On  treating  the  precipitate  by 
Mayer's  test  with  an  excess  of  carbonate  of  potassa,  it  was  turned  of 
a  dark  dull-red  hue,  and  gave,  with  a  mixture  of  one  part  of  ether  and 
two  of  alcohol,  a  light-yellow  solution,  from  which  a  slight  reaction 
with  Mayer's  test  was  obtained  ;  with  solution  of  iodine  in  iodide  of 
potassium  light-yellow  crystals  were  formed. 
It  appears  from  the  above  that  this  false  pareira  brava  contains  two 
alkaloids,  both  of  a  yellow  color,  one  of  which  is  similar  to  berberina, 
but  differs  from  it  in  several  important  reactions. 
LIQUOR  POTASS^. 
By  Ed.  Rosenthal,  Ph.G. 
From  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
Of  the  many  chemical  preparations  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  there  is 
none,  perhaps,  the  working  formula  of  which  is  more  simple  than  that  of 
the  subject  of  this  paper  ;  and  it  might  be  supposed  that  in  consequence 
thereof  the  product  should  be  at  once  pure  and  of  a  standard  strength. 
With  a  view  to  ascertain  if  such  is  really  the  case,  and  to  find  out 
what  the  impurities  are,  if  any,  also  how  near  the  average  article,  pro- 
duced according  to  the  officinal  formula,  approached  to  the  standard  of 
the  requirements  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  I  have  investigated  the  subject 
as  follows  below.  The  cheapness  of  the  material  used  in  the  prepar- 
ation leaves  no  reason  to  suppose  that  any  impurities  therein  could  exist 
