64 
On  Fluid  Extract  of  Vanilla. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Phabx. 
\     Feb.  1, 1872. 
iron  mortar,  with  a  little  of  the  sugar  until  reduced  to  a  damp  powder,, 
which  must  be  rubbed  with  the  hand  through  a  No.  20  sieve ;  any 
coarse  particles  which  will  not  pass  through  the  sieve  must  be  returned' 
to  the  mortar,  and,  with  fresh  portions  of  vanilla  and  sugar,  again 
treated  as  before.  This  process  is  to  be  continued  until  the  whole  of 
the  vanilla,  with  the  sugar,  is  reduced  to  a  No.  20  powder.  This  is 
then  to  be  mixed  with  five  pints  of  a  menstruum,  consisting  of  three 
parts  of  alcohol  and  one  part  of  water,  and  the  mixture  introduced 
into  a  stone  jug  of  the  capacity  of  one  gallon,  which  must  be  tightly, 
corked.  The  jug  is  then  to  be  placed  in  a  water-bath,  resting  upon 
folds  of  paper,  and  the  mixture  digested  for  two  hours  at  a  temperature 
of  from  160°  to  170°.  The  neck  and  shoulders  of  the  jug  must  be 
kept  cool,  to  prevent  the  undue  expansion  of  vapor  during  the  diges- 
tion. This  can  easily  be  done  by  wrapping  around  the  neck  and 
shoulders  of  the  jug  an  old  towel  or  other  cloth  kept  saturated  by 
having  cold  water  squeezed  upon  it  from  a  sponge  every  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes.  If  the  jug  is  of  the  capacity  directed,  this  will  be 
found  to  be  often  enough  to  apply  the  water.  The  jug  should  also  be 
removed  from  the  bath  after  each  application  of  the  water,  and  its. 
contents  well  shaken.  In  doing  this  it  will  be  well  to  keep  the  hand 
upon  the  cork  to  prevent  its  expulsion,  and  perhaps  consequent  loss, 
of  material.  When  the  digestion  has  been  completed,  and  the  mix- 
ture has  cooled,  it  is  to  be  expressed  through  muslin.  Pack  the  resi- 
due, previously  rubbed  with  the  hands  to  a  uniform  condition,  firmly 
in  a  glass  funnel,  prepared  for  percolation,  and  gradually  pour  upon 
it  first  the  expressed  liquid,  and  when  this  has  all  disappeared  from 
the  surface,  continue  the  percolation  with  a  mixture  of  three  parts  of 
alcohol  and  one  part  of  water  until  eight  pints  of  percolate  are  ob- 
tained. 
When  the  pods  have  been  well  preserved  and  are  very  moist,  there 
may  sometimes  be  required  a  little  more  sugar  than  I  have  directed 
in  the  formula  to  make  t:iem  powder  easily.  When  this  is  the  case, 
the  necessary  additional  quantity  of  sugar  may  be  added,  which  will 
make  no  important  difference  beyond  rendering  the  preparation  a  lit- 
tle sweeter,  and  this  is  not  at  all  objectionable.  But  I  have  generally 
found  the  quantity  of  sugar  ordered  to  be  sufficient. 
Many  substances,  such  as  sand,  glass,  &c,  have  been  suggested  as 
auxiliaries  in  the  process  of  powdering  vanilla,  and  either  of  these 
may  be  employed  in  the  above  process,  instead  of  sugar,  if  preferred 
