Am'oJc°tUri884harm"}        American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  543 
The  next  paper  read  was  by  Prof.  Virgil  Coblentz  on  Commercial  Bro- 
mide of  Potassium.  The  author  had  examined  two  samples  each,  pur- 
chased at  different  times  of  the  salt  prepared  by  six  American,  one  English 
and  one  German  manufacturer.  Five  of  these  samples  are  described  as 
being  neutral,  while  the  remainder  had  a  more  or  less  alkaline  reaction, 
and  caused  a  cloudiness  with  lime  water.  By  volumetric  estimation  the 
alkali  was  found  to  vary  between  "01  and  3'10  per  cent,  of  carbonate.  The 
solubility  of  one  part  of  the  salt  in  boiling  water  is  given  as  varying  between 
*907  and  1  11  parts  of  the  latter  ;  and  in  alcohol  at  15°  C.  between  114*2  and 
199*5  parts.  Traces  of  hromide  were  found  in  five  samples,  iodide  in  one 
sample,  chloride  in  all  samples,  one  being  determined  as  8*6  per  cent.,  and 
sulphate  in  four  samples.  One  sample  contained  a  trace  of  nitrate,  ten 
samples  indicated  the  presence  of  traces  of  sodium  and  the  moisture  varied 
between  *2  and  1*5  per  cent.,  while  the  weight  of  silver  precipitate  obtained 
from  1  Gm.  of  the  salt  varied  between  148  and  1-990  Gm.  (1*579  Gm. 
U.S.  P.) 
Mr.  Macmahan  made  some  remarks  about  the  last  meeting  of  the  National 
Wholesale  Druggists'  Association,  and  another  Committee,  of  which  Dr. 
Enno  Sander,  of  St.  Louis,  is  Chairman,  was  appointed  to  attend  the  next 
meeting.    Three  candidates  were  proposed  for  membership. 
Mr.  C.  S.  Hall  berg  read  a  paper  entitled  Simultaneous  Fractional  Perco- 
lation, with  Notes  on  some  Fluid  Extracts.  The  proposed  process  resembles 
re-percolation,  but  each  of  the  four  portions  of  the  powder  is  in  the  begin- 
ning moistened  with  menstruum.  One  portion  is  then  exhausted  and  the 
first  percolate,  equal  to  20  per  cent,  of  this  portion,  or  5  per  cent,  of  the 
whole  weight  of  the  drug  is  reserved,  the  remaining  percolate  being  used 
for  the  exhaustion  of  the  second  portion,  from  the  percolate  of  which  the 
same  quantity  as  before  is  reserved.  The  third  portion  is  treated  precisely 
as  the  others,  and  from  the  fourth  portion  a  total  of  85  per  cent,  of  the 
entire  percolate  is  obtained,  which  being  four  times  the  weight  of  this  por- 
tion of  the  drug,  is  amply  sufficient  for  complete  exhaustion.  In  the  case 
of  very  bulky  drugs,  the  percolate  reserved  from  the  first  three  portions  is 
10  per  cent,  each  of  the  total  amount  to  be  obtained,  so  that  the  fourth 
portion  yields  70  per  cent,  of  percolate,  or  3|  times  the  weight  of  the  last 
portion  of  the  drug. 
The  next  paper  read  was  a  paper  by  Dr.  H.  T.  Cummings,  entitled  A 
Study  of  Percolation.  It  was  a  criticism  of  a  paper  bearing  the  same  title, 
which  had  been  read  by  Mr.  Rosenwasser  at  the  meeting  of  1882.  The 
paper  was  referred  to  the  publishing  Committee. 
The  Treasurer's  annual  report  which  was  now  read  showed  the  total 
income  of  the  general  fund  during  the  past  year  to  have  been  $10,518.95, 
and  the  disbursements  $4,258.38,  leaving  a  balance  of  $6,2(50.57  in  the  hands 
of  the  Treasurer.  Acting  on  the  suggestion  of  the  Treasurer,  the  Associa- 
tion ordered  that  $316,  which  amount  had  been  donated  by  various  members 
in  past  years,  be  withdrawn  from  the  general  fund  and  added  to  the  life 
membership  fund. 
The  motion  that  $500  be  placed  at  the  disposal  of  Council  for  the  purpose 
of  making  examinations  of  drugs  and  chemicals  in  the  manner  suggested 
