AmAJprii?i8Mttrni'}        Standard  Tincture  of  Nux  Vomica.  203 
form,  well  agitate,  gently  warm,  and  after  the  liquids  have  completely 
separated  transfer  the  chloroform  to  a  weighed  dish,  evaporate  over  a 
water-bath  and  dry  for  one  hour  at  212°  F.  Allow  the  residue  of 
total  alkaloid  to  cool  and  then  weigh.  Take  of  the  percolate  as  much 
as  contains  131 J  grains  of  total  alkaloid  and  evaporate  over  a  water- 
bath  until  the  extract  weighs  two  ounces.  This  extract  will  contain 
15  per  cent  of  total  alkaloid. 
Ten  grains  of  this  extract  when  treated  in  the  following  manner 
should  yield  one  and  a  half  grains  of  total  alkaloid.  Dissolve  the 
extract  in  half  a  fluid  ounce  of  water  with  the  aid  of  a  gentle  heat 
and  add  a  drachm  of  carbonate  of  sodium  previously  dissolved  in  half 
a  fluidounce  of  water;  add  half  a  fluidounce  of  chloroform,  agitate, 
warm  gently  and  separate  the  chloroform.  Add  to  this  half  a  fluid- 
ounce  of  dilute  sulphuric  acid  with  an  equal  bulk  of  water,  again 
agitate,  warm  and  separate  the  acid  liquid  from  the  chloroform.  To 
this  acid  liquid  add  now  an  excess  of  ammonia  and  agitate  with  half  a 
fluidounce  of  chloroform ;  when  the  liquids  have  separated  transfer 
the  chloroform  to  a  weighed  dish  and  evaporate  the  chloroform  over  a 
water-bath.  Dry  the  residue  for  one  hour  and  weigh. — Pharm.  Jour, 
Trans.,  February  9,  1884. 
THE  PREPARATION  OF  A  STANDARD  TINCTURE  OF 
NUX  VOMICA.1 
By  Wyndham  R.  Dunstan, 
Assistant  Lecturer  in  Chemistry  and  Physics  to  the  Pharmaceutical  Society 
and  Demonstrator  of  Practical  Chemistry  in  the  School  of  Pharmacy  ;  and 
F.  W.  Short, 
Assistant  Demonstrator  of  Practical  Chemistry  in  the  School  of  Pharmacy. 
In  the  previous  paper  we  have  proposed  a  process  for  the  preparation 
of  a  standard  extract  of  nux  vomica,  containing  15  per  cent,  of  total 
alkaloid.  In  considering  a  feasible  method  for  preparing  a  standard 
tincture  of  nux  vomica,  we  were  led  by  our  former  results  to  two  sug- 
gestions. First,  the  dilution  with  alcohol  of  the  assayed  percolate  (the 
method  of  producing  which  has  been  described  in  the  former  paper)  to 
a  definite  degree,  corresponding  to  a  given  percentage  of  total  alkaloid, 
and  second,  the  solution  of  a  definite  quantity  of  the  standard  extract 
1  Read  at  an  Evening  Meeting  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society,  Feb.  <>,  1884. 
