384 
Spiritus  JEtkeris  Nit?*osi. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1884. 
gives  the  aldehyde  resin  reaction,  whereas  the  untreated  paraldehyde 
does  not.1  If  I  have  the  opportunity  of  making  a  farther  communica- 
tion on  this  subject,  I  shall  return  to  this  question  of  the  increase  of 
aldehyde. 
In  conclusion  I  may  be  allowed  a  few  remarks  on  the  relation  which 
these  results  have  to  everyday  pharmacy.  I  have  been  partly  led  to 
make  this  communication  from  the  continually  reiterated  statement 
that  "  spt.  aether,  nit.,  B.  P.,  is  quite  unfit  for  use/'  and  that  "the  *850 
spirit  keeps  much  better/'  the  inference  being  that  the  latter  is  the 
better  preparation.  If  any  proof  to  the  contrary  is  required  we  have 
it  in  Mr.  Symons's  paper,  in  which  he  gives  the  result  of  analysis  of 
six  samples  of  the  "850  article,  only  two  of  which  indicated  over  1  per 
cent,  of  ethyl  nitrite  and  two  were  under  04  per  cent., — these  percent- 
ages including  free  acid.  In  the  course  of  this  paper  results  of  ex- 
periments with  the  *850  spirit  are  given,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  it  is 
subject  to  increase  of  density  and  acidification, — of  course,  this  spirit 
never  gives  a  separation.  Now,  the  arguments  used  against  the  official 
spirit  are,  1st,  that  the  public  will  not  have  it,  and  2d,  that  its  acidity 
renders  it  unfit  for  dispensing.  The  first  argument  is  certainly  serious 
looking,  but  a  number  of  pharmacists  tell  me  that  they  never  have 
kept  auything  but  the  official  spirit,  and  their  experience  is  that  after 
a  serious  of  explanations  to  their  customers  they  will  have  nothing  else, 
which  is  a  very  wise  decision  on  the  part  of  the  customers.  To  dis- 
card the  spirit  on  account  of  the  second  argument  is  of  course  absurd, 
for  we  are  legally  required  to  use  only  the  official  spirit  in  compound- 
ing physicians'  prescriptions.  Practically,  however,  the  objection  is 
merely  one  of  degree.  In  the  common  *850  spirit,  the  acidity  is  less, 
because  the  ethyl  nitrite  content  is  extremely  small ;  if  pharmacists, 
therefore,  prefer  to  keep  this  spirit  on  account  of  a  vague  idea  that  it 
is  a  "  better  keeping  "  one,  they  assume  a  very  serious  responsibility. 
The  proportion  of  ethyl  nitrite  in  the  official  spirit  might  no  doubt  be 
judiciously  decreased  and  fixed,  but  even  though  it  were  fixed  at  2  per 
cent.,  it  is  evident  that  the  objection  would  only  be  lessened  and  not 
removed.  It  is,  therefore,  left  to  the  pharmacist  to  control  deteriora- 
tion by  careful  storage  of  his  stock.  Hydrocyanic  acid  is  kept  in  small 
phials,  so  that  it  may  not  deteriorate ;  so  might  we  keep  spt.  aether, 
nit.  in  proportionately  smaller  bottles  than  at  present,  with  equal  care. 
1  On  this  point  see  abstract  of  article  by  A.  P.  1ST.  Franchimont,  "  Journ. 
Chem.  Soc,"  xliv.,  453. 
