Ax.  Jour.  Phabm.  ? 
Jan.  1, 1872.  I 
Nitrite  of  Amyl. 
21 
NITRITE  OF  AMYL*. 
By  Alfred  B.  Tanner. 
The  author  first  gives  an  account  of  the  introduction  of  this  new 
remedy  into  medicine,  and  particularly  of  its  use  in  angina  pectoris 
as  advocated  by  Dr.  L.  Brunton,  and  as  an  antidote  to  the  effects  of 
an  overdose  of  chloral,  ergot,  &c,  suggested  by  Dr.  Talfourd  Jones, 
who  also  believes  it  to  prove  a  reliable  remedy  for  the  collapse  and 
cramps  of  choleraf. 
Nitrite  of  amyl  was  discovered  by  M.  Balard  in  1844.  An  account 
of  the  physical  and  chemical  properties  of  this  interesting  ether  is 
then  given,  and  the  various  processes  are  reviewed  which  have  been 
suggested  for  its  preparation,  after  which  the  author  continues  : 
The  process  by  which  I  have  been  in  the  habit  of  preparing  nitrite 
of  amyl,  and  of  which  I  now  intend  giving  you  a  description,  is  one 
which  I  think  will  be  found  convenient  for  its  preparation  on  a  small 
scale,  and  of  sufficient  purity  for  medicinal  use.  I  do  not  claim  any 
originality  for  it,  as  it  is  probable  that  many  may  have  thought  of  it 
although  not  put  it  into  practice.  So  long  ago  as  July  last  year, 
while  making  spirit  of  nitrous  ether  by  the  Pharmacopoeia  process, 
the  idea  occurred  to  me  that,  with  some  modification,  this  might  be 
made  a  convenient  one  for  the  preparation  of  nitrite  of  amyl.  A 
demand  for  the  latter  arising  just  then,  I  put  it  into  practice.  In 
Mr.  Maisch's  paper  in  the  April  number  of  the  Journal,!  he  states 
that  the  same  idea  occurred  to  him,  but  that  he  found  it  not  to  answer, 
and  this  I  think  may  be  easily  accounted  for.  The  process  for  spirit 
of  nitrous  ether,  as  you  are  all  aware,  consists  in  distilling,  at  a  cer- 
tain temperature,  a  mixture  of  rectified  spirit,  sulphuric  and  nitric 
acids  in  certain  proportion,  and  copper  wire  ;  the  distillate  consists 
mainly  of  a  mixture  of  nitrite  of  ethyl  and  ethylic  alcohol.  Now,  by 
substituting  amyl  alcohol  for  the  rectified  spirit  in  this  process,  you 
get  nitrite  of  amyl  among  other  products  ;  but  Mr.  Maisch  appears 
to  have  overlooked  one  fact,  viz.,  that  rectified  spirit  contains  16  per 
cent,  of  water,  and  that  the  amylic  alcohol  he  used  was  nearly  anhy- 
drous. He  states  that  the  amylic  alcohol,  i.  e.  the  purified  substance, 
was  mixed  with  sulphuric  acid,  the  mixture  introduced  into  a  retort, 
*  Abstract  of  a  paper  read  at  a  meeting  of  the  Liverpool  Chemists'  Associa 
tion,  Nov.  9th,  1871. 
t  British  Medical  Journal,  Sept.  30th,  1871. 
X  Amer.  Journ.  Pharra.,  1871.  p.  146. 
