26 
Solvents  of  Salicylic  Acid, 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Jan.,  1877 
Since  writing  the  above,  I  find  the  glycerol  of  nitrate  of  bismuth  to 
be  a  somewhat  more  stimulant  application,  in  cases  of  eczema,  than  a 
glycerol  of  the  subacetate  of  lead  of  corresponding  strength. 
On  the  other  hand,  I  find  by  sucking  the  actual  crystals  of  the 
nitrate  of  bismuth,  that  the  salt  is  in  no  degree  a  caustic,  and  not  more 
acid  to  the  taste  than  crystals  of  citric  acid. — Phar.  Jour  and  Trans.  > 
Nov.  11,  1876. 
SOLVENTS   OF   SALICYLIC  ACID. 
By  J.  C.  Thresh,  Pharmaceutical  Chemist. 
To  increase  the  facility  with  which  salicylic  acid  may  be  adminis- 
tered, various  substances  have  been  proposed,  which  increase  in  a 
remarkable  manner  the  solvent  action  of  water  upon  it.  The  salts 
usually  employed  for  this  purpose  are  borax,  phosphate  of  soda  and 
citrate  of  ammonia,  and  my  experiments  were  undertaken  to  ascertain 
whether  or  not  this  increased  solubility  was  due  to  some  chemical 
decomposition  between  the  acid  and  the  salts  employed,  and  if  the 
solutions  thus  formed  possessed  the  antiseptic  and  antifermentative 
properties  of  the  free  acid. 
Borax. — This  salt  is  remarkable  for  its  solvent  action  upon  a  large 
number  of  organic  compounds,  the  nature  of  which  action  is  not,  in 
most  cases,  yet  ascertained.  If  borax  and  salicylic  acid  be  mixed  in  a 
mortar,  the  result  is  a  damp  almost  pasty  mass.  The  taste  at  first  is- 
simply  that  of  the  acid  and  borax,  but  in  a  very  short  time  it  begins  tc 
acquire  a  bitter  taste,  and  after  a  few  hours  it  will  be  found  to  be  in- 
tensely bitter.  If  a  little  of  the  freshly  prepared  mixture  be  carefully 
fused  the  resulting  mass  at  once  becomes  exceedingly  bitter,  and  if  the 
proportions  employed  were  one  of  borax  to  two  of  acid,  the  mass  is- 
soluble  in  about  twice  its  weight  of  water.  A  dilute  solution  of  five 
gr.  each  of  acid  and  borax  in  one  ounce  of  water  is  devoid  of  ^bitter- 
ness,  and  remains  so  even  after  keeping  a  length  of  time,  but  stronger 
solutions  soon  become  bitter.  I  have  failed  as  yet  to  ascertain  the 
nature  of  this  reaction,  or  to  isolate  the  bitter  product,  unless  a  crystal- 
line deposit,  which  is  slowly  forming  in  a  solution  of  2*5  borax,  4  acid 
and  50  water,  which  is  evaporating  spontaneously,  proves  to  be  the 
substance  in  question. 
Phosphate  of  Soda. — This  salt  has  not  a  solvent  effect  equal  to 
