348  Criticism  of  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia.     -j  An^u^J-  ^rm' 
both  with  respect  to  the  presence  of  the  inactive  variety  and  to 
foreign  substances,  is  the  specific  rotatory  power.  This  has  been 
found  to  be  between  — 240  and  — 25 0  for  the  fairly  pure 
anhydrous  hydrobromide  in  a  5  per  cent,  aqueous  solution  at  150  C. 
A  specific  rotatory  power  of  — 32. 30  to  — 32.90  has  been  found 
by  Hesse48  for  the  salt  in  a  high  state  of  purity.  Determinations 
of  this  constant  have  revealed  the  following  variations  in  the 
commercial  product: 
1894 —  E.  Schmidt49:  Scopolamine  hydrobromide  from  Gehe  and  Com- 
pany, Dresden,  [a]  D  =  —  14.58  °. 
1895 —  E.  Schmidt50:  Scopolamine  hydrobromide  from  E.  Merck,  Darm- 
stadt,   [a]  D  =  —  17  0  9'. 
1895 —  Gadamer  51 :  Scopolamine  hydrobromide  from  Gehe  and  Company, 
Dresden.  Anhydrous  salt  in  aqueous  solution,  p  =  6.3043,  t  =  19.80  C, 
[a]  D  =  — 6.62°. 
1896 —  O.  Hesse52:  Five  commercial  samples  of  scopolamine  hydrobromide 
showed  a  specific  rotatory  power  as  follows:  — 22.1  °,  — 12.7  °,  — 12. 1  °, 
—  11.3  °,  —  10.0  °. 
1897 —  L.  Merck53:  Scopolamine  hydrobromide  from  Scopolia  root, 
[a]  D  = —  13-47°.  Scopolamine  hydrobromide  from  the  seed  of  Hyoscyamus 
niger,  [a]  D  = —  240  to  —  250. 
1898 —  Luboldt54:  Scopolamine  hydrobromide  from  Gehe  and  Company, 
Dresden.  1.5304  Gm.  of  anhydrous  salt  in  aqueous  solution,  d  =  1.0096, 
t  =  i5°,  [a]  D  =  i4°  58'. 
1899 —  O.  Hesse  55 :  Scopolamine  hydrobromide,  commercial.  Anhydrous 
salt  in  aqueous  solution,  p  =  4,  t  =  150,  [a]  D=  —  7.50. 
1901 — Gadamer56:  Scopolamine  hydromide  from  E.  Merck,  Darmstadt. 
[a]  D  =  —  24.69°. 
1912 — E.  Hug57:  Scopolamine  hydrobromide  from  Hoffmann-La  Roche 
Company,  Grenzach.  Anhydrous  salt  in  aqueous  solution,  p  =  4.5,  [a]  D 
=  —  26.0°. 
1912 — Finnemore  and  Braithwaite 58 :  Four  samples  of  commercial  hyoscine 
hydrobromide  showed  a  specific  rotatory  power  as  follows:  —23°  7',  —  21  0 
59',  —  21°  25',  —  6°  30';  one  sample  was  found  to  be  inactive. 
isJoum.  f.  prakt.  Chem.  (1901),  64,  2,  p.  385. 
4»Apoth.  Ztg.  (1896),  11,  p.  260. 
60  Ibid. 
51  Cited  by  Schmidt,  Arch.  d.  Pharm.  (1898),  236,  p.  47. 
52Ber.  d.  dentsch.  chem.  Gcs.  (1896),  29,  p.  1780. 
63 lourn.  Soc.  Chem.  Industr.  (1897),  16,  p.  575. 
54  Arch.  d.  Phar.  (1898),  236,  p.  14. 
55  Ann.  d.  Chem.  (1899),  309,  p.  90. 
56  Arch.  d.  Phar.  (1901),  239,  p.  324. 
"Arch.  f.  exp.  Path.  u.  Pharmak.  (1912),  69,  p.  48. 
58  Phar.  lourn.  and  Trans.  (1912),  p.  498. 
