342  Criticism  of  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia.     \kmi*™*{  Si™1 
hydrobromid."  Thus,  E.  Merck,10  in  1896,  remarked  that  the  alka- 
loids, hyoscine  and  scopolamine,  were  identical,  but  that  the  name 
hyoscine  was  given  to  the  base  when  isolated  from  Hyoscyamus 
niger,  while  the  term  scopolamine  was  applied  to  that  isolated  from 
scopolia  root. 
In  1897,  L.  Merck17  called  attention  to  some  observations  in- 
dicating that  the  hydrobromide  prepared  from  the  alkaloid  obtained 
from  Hyoscyamus  niger  was  fairly  constant,  showing  a  specific 
rotatory  power  of  — 240  to  — 250  ;  while  that  prepared  in  a 
like  manner  from  the  alkaloid  when  obtained  from  scopolia  root 
varied  and  showed  a  much  lower  specific  rotatory  power,  —  I3.47°.1S 
From  the  foregoing  observations  one  would  naturally  infer  that 
the  designation  hyoscine  hydrobromide  would  insure  a  product 
strongly  lsevorotatory  and  containing  little  of  the  optically  inactive 
isomer,  while  the  term  scopolamine  hydrobromide  would  indicate  a 
salt  having  a  low  specific  rotatory  power.  Such,  however,  is  not  the 
case,  exactly  the  reverse  being  true  at  the  present  time.  The  observa- 
tions of  Schmidt,19  Hesse,-0  Luboldt,21  and  others  show  that  the 
commercial  salt,  the  hydrobromide,  regardless  of  its  natural  source, 
often  varied  in  its  rotatory  power.  Schmidt  attributed  this  variation, 
in  the  case  of  the  salt  prepared  from  Hyoscyamus  niger,  to  the  use  of 
strong  alkalies,  such  as  the  hydroxides  of  sodium  and  potassium,  or 
even  their  normal  carbonates  on  long  standing,  in  the  isolation  of 
the  free  base.  Furthermore,  it  was  found  that  the  name  given  to 
the  commercial  product  was  no  indication  of  this  variation,  the  salt 
designated  hyoscine  hydrobromide  varying  as  well  as  that  bearing 
the  name  scopolamine  hydrobromide.  However,  upon  the  introduc- 
tion into  the  German  Pharmacopoeia  22  of  the  term  "  Skopolamin- 
la  Merck's  Bericht  (1894),  p.  94. 
"  Journ.  Soc.  Chem.  Industr.  (1897),  16,  p.  515. 
ls  Schmidt  noted  a  specific  rotatory  power  of  -250  43'  for  scopolamine 
hydrobromide  prepared  from  the  base  obtained  from  the  root  of  Scopolia 
atropoides.  He  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  low  rotatory  power  observed  by 
Merck  was  due  to  the  presence  of  i-scopolamine  which  may  preexist  in  the 
plant  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year  or  which  may  be  formed  in  the  process 
of  curing. — Arch.  d.  Pharm.  (1898),  236,  p.  59. 
wApoth.  Ztg.  (1896),  11,  p.  260. 
20  Ibid.  (1895),  10,  p.  187. 
21  Arch.  d.  Pharm.  (1898),  236,  pp.  11-47. 
22  Deutsches  Arzneibuch,  5th  Edit.,  Berlin  (1910),  p.  451. 
