340 
Uses  of  Paradichlorbenzene.       {  Am-^-^Tm' 
exerted  should  be  directed  .through  the  same  channels  and  along  the 
same  lines.  In  that  way  we  will  make  everyone's  "  bit "  count. 
Very  little  can  be  looked  forward  to,  however,  if  one  group  pulls  one 
way  and  the  other  in  the  opposite  direction.  Fortunately,  we  have 
thus  far  had  very  little  work  at  cross  purposes  and  it  is  to  be  hoped, 
with  the  coming  of  the  various  pharmaceutical  conventions,  coopera- 
tion will  be  even  greater  and  that  at  least  once  the  pharmaceutical 
profession  will  be  found  united  in  advocating  a  measure  which,  if 
passed,  will  do  more  to  place  pharmacy  on  a  professional  basis  than 
any  other  single  thing  that  has  ever  been  accomplished. 
SOME  POSSIBLE  PHARMACEUTICAL  USES  OF  PARA- 
DICHLORBENZENE.   A  PLEA  FOR  THE  USE  AND 
FURTHER  INVESTIGATION  OF  A  BY-PRODUCT 
RESULTING  FROM  THE  WAR. 
By  W.  A.  Koxantz,  Research  Chemist,  College  of  Pharmacy,  University 
of  Iowa,  Iowa  City,  Ia. 
In  the  chlorination  of  benzene  at  ordinary  temperatures  about 
85-90  per  cent,  of  monochlorbenzene  and  10-15  Per  cent,  of  dichlor- 
benzene,  chiefly  para,  are  produced.  At  the  present  time,  enormous 
quantities  of  benzene  are  being  chlorinated,  for  it  has  been  found 
that  picric  acid  can  be  made  more  cheaply  from  monochlorbenzene 
than  from  phenol.  At  the  same  time,  however,  large  quantities  of 
dichlorbenzene  are  accumulating,  for  which  there  is  very  little  de- 
mand. For  the  complete  success  of  this  most  valuable  process  of 
manufacturing  picric  acid,  it  is  necessary  that  uses  be  found  for  the 
dichlorbenzene.  Owing  to  the  firmness  with  which  the  chlorine 
atoms  are  attached  to  the  benzene  nucleus,  p-dichlorbenzene  does  not 
enter  readily  into  chemical  reaction,  and  all  attempts  to  convert  it 
into  other  commercially-  valuable  compounds  have  so  far  been  unsuc- 
cessful. The  physical  properties  of  this  substance  are  such,  how- 
ever, that  the  writer  believes  it  may  prove  of  considerable  value  in 
pharmacy.  Some  possible  pharmaceutical  uses  which  have  occurred 
to  the  writer  are  here  described  in  the  hope  that  pharmacists  and 
manufacturers  will  try  them  out  and  so  help  to  solve  the  problem 
of  utilizing  this  by-product. 
From  the  viewpoint  of  the  pharmacist  the  most  valuable  prop- 
