Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  19 18. 
Current  Literature. 
461 
Estimation  of  Sulpho  Ethers  in  Urine. — In  Salkowski's 
method  (Virchow's  Arch.,  79,  552)  metallic  sulphates  are  estimated 
by  precipitation  with  barium  hydroxide  and  barium  chloride  and 
treatment  of  the  precipitate  with  dilute  nitric  acid,  whilst  the  com- 
bined sulphonated  compounds,  which  are  present  in  the  nitrate  as 
barium  salts,  are  decomposed  by  boiling  with  hydrochloric  acid  and 
then  precipitated  with  barium  chloride.  According  to  Gauvin  (Bull, 
des  Soc.  Pharm.,  June,  1914),  a  portion  of  the  sulphonated  ethers 
remains  in  the  barium  precipitate  after  the  acid  treatment,  so  that 
the  results  obtained  by  Salkowski's  method  are  too  low.  This  may 
be  obviated  by  precipitating  the  sulphates  alone,  and  then  estimating 
the  total  sulphur  compounds  in  another  portion  of  the  urine  after 
hydrolysis  by  boiling  for  fifteen  minutes  with  a  fifth  part  of  its 
volume  of  hydrochloric  acid.  The  sulphur  in  the  sulphonated  ethers 
is  then  found  by  difference.  The  results  thus  obtained  are  from 
6.5  to  8.6  per  cent,  higher  than  those  given  by  Salkowski's  method. 
Extension  of  the  period  of  heating  during  the  hydrolysis  does  not 
cause  the  results  to  be  appreciably  higher.  (L.  Cordier,  /.  Pharm. 
Chim.,  1917,  16,  360.    From  The  Analyst.) 
Purification  of  Water  with  Isotonic  Sodium  Hypochlorite 
Solution. — Fralick  has  proposed  and  demonstrated  the  use  of  two 
chemicals  for  water  purification  in  emergency  outfits  (Lister  bags),  so 
as  to  produce  a  safe  water,  entirely  free  from  objectionable  tastes 
and  odors.  To  do  this  he  has  recommended  the  use  of  the  isotonic 
sodium  hypochlorite  solution  as  a  disinfection  and  the  neutraliza- 
tion of  the  excess  sodium  hypochlorite  by  peroxid  of  hydrogen 
sodium  hypochlorite  +  hydrogen  dioxid  ==  sodium  chlorid  +  water 
+  20,  while  the  effectiveness  of  this  method  had  been  repeatedly 
demonstrated  at  his  laboratory,  field  tests  under  army  conditions 
were  conducted  and  the  testimony  of  a  number  of  sanitary  experts 
obtained.  There  was  a  unanimous  opinion  expressed  that  water 
neutralized  with  the  hydrogen  dioxid  was  entirely  free  from  any 
objectionable  or  even  noticeable  taste  or  odor,  while  bacterial  tests 
demonstrated  its  freedom  from  micro-organisms.  In  view  of  the 
disagreeable  and  probable  injurious  qualities  of  water  disinfected 
with  calcium  hypochlorite,  in  emergency  outfits  (Lister  bags),  and 
in  view  of  the  fact  that  troops  avoid  drinking  this  water,  Fralick 
recommends  its  discontinuance.  (Medical  Record  of  New  York 
through  Journal  American  Medical  Association. 
