160  Tinctura  Opii,  U.  $.  P.  {^/Ti.iS?"" 
An  ounce  of  the  vinegar  to  be  examined  is  put  into  a  small  porce- 
lain capsule,  over  a  water-bath,  and  evaporated  to  about  half  a  drachm, 
or  to  the  consistence  of  a  thin  extract ;  when  cool,  half  a  fluidounce  of 
stronger  alcohol  is  added  and  thoroughly  triturated.  The  free  sul- 
phuric acid,  if  present,  will  be  taken  up  by  the  alcohol  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  any  sulphates. 
Allow  the  alcoholic  solution  to  stand  several  hours  and  filter ;  to  the 
filtrate  add  one  fluidounce  of  distilled  water,  and  evaporate  the  alcohol 
off  by  gentle  heat,  over  a  sand-bath ;  when  free  from  alcohol  it  is  set 
aside  for  several  hours  and  then  again  filtered. 
To  the  filtrate,  acidulated  with  hydrochloric  acid,  add  a  few  drops 
of  a  solution  of  chloride  barium,  and  a  white  precipitate  of  sulphate 
of  barium  will  result,  if  the  sample  of  vinegar  has  been  adulterated 
with  sulphuric  acid. 
Middletown,  N.  J7".,  March,  1872. 
TINCTURA  OPII,  U.  S.  P. 
By  Allen  Shryock. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  March  19th,  1872. 
Allowing  the  opium  to  be  wholly  exhausted  of  its  active  principles, 
one  grain  would  be  represented  by  1208T  minims  of  the  tincture,  ac- 
cording to  the  U.  S.  formula ;  but  a  minute  quantity  of  morphia  has 
been  detected  in  the  residuary  matter,  so  that  the  tincture  is  rather 
weaker  than  the  proportion  of  opium  employed  would  indicate.  To 
determine  this  difference,  though  slight,  would  be  of  interest. 
Powdered  opium  was  analyzed,  and  found  to  yield  l&fVa  per  cent, 
of  morphia,  giving  3171  grains  in  50  troyounces  ;  this  quantity  being 
converted  into  40  pints  of  tinctura  opii,  U.  S.  P.,  the  dregs  of  the 
same  were  analyzed,  and  found  to  contain  18  grains  of  morphia,  upon 
which  data  we  may  readily  calculate  the  loss  as  represented  by  mor- 
phia. Assuming  the  amount  of  morphia  contained  in  the  powdered 
opium  to  be  represented  nominally  by  100  per  cent.,  the  amount  of 
morphia  retained  in  the  dregs  (13  grs.)  will  be  represented  by  -40996, 
or  approximately  §  of  one  per  cent.  Therefore  12T80-  minims  of  tinc- 
ture of  opium  in  strength  equals  1  grain  of  powdered  opium  less  § 
per  cent.,  or  T%%%  gr.,  and  1  grain  of  powdered  opium  in  morphia 
strength  equals  12  ^  minims. 
With  this  slight  difference,  however,  12,8t>  minims  of  the  tincture 
