594 
Weights  and  Measures. 
Am,  Jour.  Pharm. 
Dec,  1893. 
gram  of  beeswax.  Stearic  acid,  resin,  and  suint  wax  increase  while 
carnauba  wax,  mineral  wax,  cacao  butter,  paraffin  and  spermaceti 
decrease  the  acid  number.  China  wax,  Japan  wax  and  vegetable 
wax  do  not  vitiate  the  number  seriously. 
The  "  Ether  Number,"  varying  from  73-76  mgs.  of  potash  per 
gram  of  beeswax,  is  unaffected  by  adding  carnauba  wax  but  China 
wax,  Japan  wax,  cacao  butter,  tallow,  vegetable  wax,  increase  it. 
Mineral  wax,  paraffin,  resin,  stearic  acid  and  suint  wax  decrease  it. 
It  must  be  noted  that  wax  bleached  by  certain  chemical  agents  may 
have  an  ether  number  as  high  as  84  and  yet  be  pure. 
The  percentage  of  iodine  varies  from  8— 1 1 ,  yet  wax  bleached  by 
certain  agents,  as  chlorine,  may  vary  far  from  these  percentages.  Par- 
affin, mineral  wax  and  stearic  acid  lower  the  percentage,  but  cacao 
butter,  resin,  suint  wax  and  tallow  increase  it.  China  wax,  carnauba 
wax,  Japan  wax  and  vegetable  wax  pass  the  prescribed  limits  but 
very  little. 
The  volume  (53-57-5  cc.)  of  hydrogen  evolved  from  one  gram  of 
beeswax  and  the  percentage  (12*5— 14-5)  of  hydrocarbons  evidently 
are  the  most  reliable  data  securable.  The  former  being  vitiated  by 
all  adulterants  except  tallow  and  the  latter  by  all  except  suint  wax. 
— Laboratory,  Smith,  Kline  &  French  Company,  Philadelphia.  Pa. 
WEIGHTS  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  PHARMA- 
COPOEIA, 1890.  _ 
By  Allen  Shryock,  Ph.G. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  November  21,  1893. 
A  careful  examination  of  the  United  States  Pharmacopoeia  pre 
sents  the  following  facts,  which  may  be  of  interest  to  friends  of  the 
Decimal  System. 
The  greater  proportion  of  quantities  indicated  by  weight,  come 
under  the  head  of  1000,  100  and  10  Gramme  weights. 
The  following  table  will  show  about  the  number  of  times  that 
each  particular  weight  is  directed  throughout  the  Pharmacopoeia  : 
Times. 
1,000  gramme  weight,  167 
100       "  "       .  no 
