Am.  Jour.  Pharro.  \ 
February,  1899.  j 
Commercial  Vinegar. 
Aconite  Root. — The  most  observable  feature  in  this  "acetract"  is 
the  exceptionally  dark  color,  the  official  being  of  a  light  wine  color 
and  of  high  alcoholic  percentage  ;  no  odor  of  the  drug  perceptible  ; 
only  a  faint  tingling  sensation  follows  its  touch  upon  the  tongue. 
Not  so  with  the  official,  where  this  numbness  continues  for  hours. 
Belladonna  Root. — The  "acetract"  diluted  with  water  makes  a 
comparatively  clear  solution,  whilst  the  official  fluid  when  so  diluted 
yields  a  most  copious  precipitate.  No  odor  of  drug  or  other  con- 
tained sensible  property  exists. 
^ANALYSIS  OF  COMMERCIAL  VINEGAR. 
By  Frank  G.  Ryan,  Ph.G. 
This  investigation  does  not  present  anything  new  to  the  com- 
mercial analyst ;  it  was  however  thought  of  sufficient  importance  to 
bring  to  the  attention  of  this  meeting,  with  a  view  of  illustrating  a 
class  of  analytical  work  that  may  be  undertaken  by  graduates  in 
pharmacy,  which  would  prove  both  profitable  and  legitimate 
employment. 
The  analyst  is  called  upon  frequently,  at  the  present  time,  for 
work  of  this  kind,  and  with  the  more  rigid  enforcement  of  the 
"  pure  food  and  drug  laws  "  by  the  various  States,  a  new  field  of 
employment  is  undoubtedly  being  created  for  the  intelligent  phar. 
macist. 
In  the  Journal  of  the  American  Chemical  Society,  Vol.  XX,  3, 
Albert  W.  Smith  gives  the  results  of  a  large  number  of  exami- 
nations of  cider  and  spirit  vinegar,  and  other  important  information 
connected  with  the  subject,  and  from  which  many  of  the  facts  here 
presented  have  been  taken. 
Most  State  laws  upon  the  subject  require  that  cider  vinegar  shall 
contain  not  less  than  4  per  cent,  of  absolute  acetic  acid,  and  at  least 
2  per  cent,  of  apple  solids,  the  latter  determined  by  evaporation 
over  boiling  water.  The  substitution,  wholly  or  in  part,  of  spirit 
vinegar  makes  an  analysis  necessary  to  determine  the  source  of  the 
product,  and  an  examination  of  the  ash  has  been  found  to  give  the 
best  results. 
The  burning  of  the  solids  from  cider  vinegar  is  accomplished 
with  considerable  difficulty  on  account  of  the  low  temperature  at 
which  the  mass  fuses,  enclosing  particles  of  unconsumed  carbon. 
