T28  Deodorization  of  the  Cresols.       (Am  jour.  Pharm. 
J  February,  19 10. 
life.  We  are  learning  more  and  more  to  eliminate  waste,  be  it 
waste  of  energy,  waste  of  raw  material,  waste  in  manufacture,  or 
waste  wherever  it  may  occur.  It  seems  to  me  that  if  there  is  one 
line  of  endeavor  where  laboratories  connected  with  manufactories 
can  prove  their  worth  it  is  along  the  line  of  securing  uniformity; 
efficiency  in  the  methods  of  manufacturing;  simplification  of  proc- 
esses and  details;  elimination  of  waste  and  the  conservation  of 
energy. 
A  PROCESS  FOR  THE  DEODORIZATION  OF  THE 
CRESOLS. 
(Preliminary  Paper.) 
By  James  F.  Couch,  Washington,  D.  C. 
The  official  mixture  of  the  three  isomeric  monohydroxyl  deriva- 
tives of  toluol  which  is  commonly  called  cresol  is  one  of  the  more 
important  antiseptics  in  common  use.  It  forms  the  principal  active 
agent  in  the  pharmacopoeial  Liquor  Cresolis  Compositus  and  in  the 
various  trade  modifications  of  that  mixture  and  is,  perhaps,  the 
chief  parasiticidal  substance  in  the  extensively  used  sheep  dips.  It 
is  stated  to  be  inore  germicidal  than  phenol  and  no  more  toxic  while, 
in  price,  it  has  a  decided  advantage  over  its  lower  homologue.  Creso! 
has  proven  highly  satisfactory  for  many  purposes;  at  present  it  is 
used  in  enormous  quantities.  The  compound  solution  is  to  be  found 
on  every  surgeon's  shelf,  in  every  hospital,  and  especially  in  the 
equipment  of  all  veterinarians. 
The  great  disadvantage  of  cresol  which  has  prevented  a  still 
more  extensive  and  varied  use  is  the  odor  of  the  substance,  which  is 
intolerable  to  some  and  disagreeable  to  most  people.  If  this  factor 
were  absent  the  substance  might  be  advantageously  used  in  a  number 
of  products  and  in  processes  from  which  it  is  now  barred.  It  might 
be  employed  for  the  disinfection  of  dairies,  for  instance,  without 
danger  of  communicating  its  odor  to  milk  or  butter. 
Another  disadvantage  lies  in  its  insolubility  in  water,  which  neces- 
sitates the  addition  of  a  soft  soap  to  hold  the  cresol  in  solution. 
There  are  two  objections  to  this  addition  of  soap.  The  cost  of  potas- 
sium soaps  is  now  excessive  and  sodium  soaps  are  not  as  efficient 
