366  The  New  Remedies  of  1917.  {AmMayr'i^rm' 
both  eucalyptol  and  liquid  paraffin  have  an  affinity  for  chlorine,  with 
consequent  decomposition  of  the  dichloramine-T,  the  oils  must  pre- 
viously be  chlorinated  by  treatment  with  potassium  chlorate  and 
hydrochloric  acid.  The  nasal  spray  is  prepared  by  dissolving  di- 
chloramine-T, 0.2  Gm.,  in  chlorinated  eucalyptol,  2  Cc,  adding  liquid 
paraffin,  8  Cc,  and  mixing.  As  soon  as  a  precipitate  shows  itself 
the  solution  should  be  discarded.  A  stock  solution  containing  10 
per  cent,  in  eucalyptol  may  be  made,  and  this  diluted  with  liquid 
paraffin,  1:4,  as  required.  This  stock  solution  will  keep  for  a 
month.  Oily  solution  of  dichloramine-T  has  also  been  used  as  a 
spray  and  as  a  dressing  for  wounds. 
A  better  solvent  for  dichloramine-T  has  just  been  announced  by 
Dakin  and  Dunham  (B.M.J.,  Jan.  12,  1918).  Ordinary  hard  par- 
affin is  melted  in  a  flask,  and  chlorine  gas  passed  through  it,  at  suit- 
able temperature,  to  saturation.  The  product  is  an  oily  substance, 
which,  when  treated  with  sodium  carbonate  and  filtered,  gives  a 
clear  yellow  oil  slightly  heavier  than  water.  This  oil,  which  the 
authors  propose  to  call  Chlorcosane,  will  dissolve  10  per  cent,  of 
dichloramine-T,  the  solution  being  practically  stable  if  kept  in  amber 
bottles. 
The  use  of  aniline  dyes  as  antiseptics  has  made  some  progress. 
Brilliant  Green  (see  The  Chemist's  Annual,  1917,  p.  46)  has  been 
further  investigated,  while  a  new,  or  rather,  a  resuscitated,  com- 
pound, Flavin e,  or  diamino-methyl  acridinium  chloride,  has  come 
into  prominence.  Flavine  has  since  been  known  as  Acriflavine,  and 
another  and  similar  acridine  compound,  Proflavine  (diamino-acri- 
dine  sulphate),  which  is  cheaper  to  prepare,  has  also  been  intro- 
duced. More  recent  researches  have  cast  some  doubt  on  the  real 
value  of  these  compounds  as  antiseptics,  it  being  held  in  some  quar- 
ters that  the  methods  of  the  early  investigators  were  faulty  and  their 
deductions  unreliable;  whether  or  not  these  contentions  will  be  up- 
held remains  to  be  seen. 
A  new  mercurial  germicide  has  been  introduced  by  Schamberg 
{Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Assoc.,  191 7,  68,  1458)  under  the  name  of  Mer- 
curophen.  This  is  sodium  oxymercury-orthonitrophenolate ;  it  con- 
tains 53  per  cent,  of  Hg,  and  its  formula  is  as  shown  below.  It  is  an 
odorless  brick-red  powder,  freely  soluble  in  water,  giving  a  yellow 
solution.  It  is  said  to  be  thirty  times  as  powerful  as  mercuric 
chloride,  with  only  about  one  fifth  its  precipitating  power  on  serum 
proteins.    Solutions  of  1 :  5,000  have  no  tarnishing  effect  on  instru- 
