374  Determination  of  Hydrastine.       {Am •/^•1^rm' 
obtained  by  titration  with  volumetric  acid  solution,  due  to  some 
impurity  present  in  the  alkaloid.  A  standard  fluid  extract  should 
contain  not  less  than  2  per  cent,  hydrastine,  based  on  titration  with 
volumetric  acid. 
Fluid  Extract  Golden  Seal  without  Alcohol. 
Number. 
Per  Cent,  berberine  cal- 
culated from  dried  (1050 
C.)  muriate. 
Per  Cent,  hydrastine,  by 
titration  with  volume- 
tric acid. 
1 '46 
I  "3 
2' 
1 '3 
3,  •  • 
0*65 
o*6i 
4,  •  • 
o-66 
0-46 
0'12 
072 
6,  .  • 
0'54 
"'  ' 
0*69 
This  preparation  is  used  much  more  extensively  than  the  Phar- 
macopceial  extract,  and  therefore  should  be  much  richer  in  hydras- 
tine, than  shown  in  the  above  results  which  show  up  the  quality 
of  the  preparation  as  made  by  leading  manufacturers. 
Analytical  Laboratory  of  Parke,  Davis  &  Co. 
June  16,  1893. 
THE  DETERMINATION  OF  HYDRASTINE  IN  FLUID 
EXTRACT  OF  HYDRASTIS. 
By  E.  G.  Eberhardt,  Ph.G. 
Read  before  the  Ind.  P.  A. 
Not  so  very  many  years  ago  the  most  important  constituent  of 
Hydrastis  was  considered  to  be  berberine  and  the  valuation  of  the 
drug  was  assumed  to  be  accomplished  with  the  estimation  of  that 
alkaloid.  Since  then,  however,  hydrastine  has  been  found  to  be 
medicinally  of  greater  importance  and  at  present  no  valuation  of  the 
drug  or  its  preparations  can  be  considered  complete  that  does  not 
include  an  estimation  of  the  white  alkaloid.  In  looking  over  the 
literature  very  little  is  found  to  have  been  done  in  this  direction. 
A.  B.  Lyons  {American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1886,  pages  583  and 
586),  and  also  H.  W.  Snow  (American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1888, 
page  494)  give  some  data  for  its  estimation  with  Mayer's  solution, 
but  no  specific  directions  for  manipulating  the  drug  or  any  of  its 
