392 
Pharmaceutical  Notes. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1     August,  1894. 
Olive  oil,  hempseed  oil,  rapeseed  oil,  linseed  oil,  etc.,  have  been 
variously  employed  in  making  green  soft  soap. 
So  far  our  dermatologists  have  not  taken  kindly  to  the  new  soap 
and  generally  prefer  the  olive  oil  soap.  This  applies  also  to  the 
linimentum  saponis  mollis  (Tinctura  Saponis  Viridis,  i8$o). 
The  title  Sapo  Viridis  is  a  queer  one  for  a  yellowish-brown 
soap. 
Lin imen t?i m  A m moniae. 
Here  we  have  another  liniment  with  the  formula  slightly  modified 
by  the  addition  of  about  5  per  cent,  of  alcohol,  but  cottonseed  oil  is 
still  retained. 
My  experience  with  this  preparation  is  that  when  made  with 
olive  oil  it  is  a  much  finer  preparation  and  is  generally  preferred  by 
the  people  and  doctors. 
I  would  therefore  like  to  see  olive  oil  substituted  again  for  cotton- 
seed oil. 
Spiritus  Aetheris  Nitrosi. 
The  new  formula,  in  which  sodium  nitrite  is  used  and  being 
dissolved  in  water  is  mixed  with  deodorized  alcohol  in  a  flask  and 
decomposed  with  sulphuric  acid,  yields  a  fine  preparation.  The 
addition  of  the  acid  through  the  funnel  tube  must  be  slowly  and 
gradually  performed,  as  the  reaction  is  a  violent  one. 
Distillation  goes  on  without  the  need  of  additional  heat,  as 
sufficient  is  generated  by  the  chemical  reaction  to  distill  the  ethyl 
nitrite. 
The  direction,  to  dissolve  the  770  grams  of  sodium  nitrate  in 
1,000  cc.  of  water  is  erroneous,  as  it  requires  1*5  parts  of  water  at 
15°  C.  to  dissolve  it,  or  about  1,155  cc. 
The  method  of  purifying  the  distillate  with  ice-cold  water, 
sodium  carbonate  and  dried  potassium  carbonate  to  remove  alcohol, 
acid  and  water,  is  a  valuable  improvement. 
The  whole  process  is  so  easily  carried  out  that  every  pharmacist 
ought  to  find  it  a  pleasure  to  prepare  his  spirit  of  nitrous  ether. 
Hydrargyrum  Cum  Creta. 
The  old  formula  which  directed  ether  and  alcohol  for  extinguish- 
ing the  mercury  in  a  mixture  of  prepared  chalk  and  sugar  of  milk 
proved  impracticable  in  the  hands  of  the  retail  pharmacist. 
The  new  directs  to  shake  the  mercury  with  honey  and  a  little 
water  for  ten  hours,  or  until  the  mercury  is  invisible  under  a  lens 
