320  Assay  of  Belladonna  Leaves.        {Am •/U°1^-Sarm' 
poured  into  a  separator.  When  separated  the  chloroform  is  drawn 
off  into  the  flask  again  and  the  acid  solution  into  a  beaker.  To  the 
chloroform  in  the  flask  2  c.c.  of  decinormal  acid  is  added  from  the 
burette,  well  shaken,  5  c.c.  water  added,  the  shaking  repeated,  the 
whole  returned  to  the  separator,  the  flask  rinsed  in,  and  when  sepa- 
rated the  chloroform  is  drawn  into  a  small  beaker  and  the  watery 
solution  into  the  beaker  with  the  first  portion.  The  chloroform 
should  then  be  bitter-free  or  be  again  washed.  The  watery  solution 
in  the  beaker  is  now  titrated  with  decinormal  alkali. 
This  process  answers  fairly  well  even  with  the  disturbing  element 
of  glycerin  in  the  liquid,  as  when  the  U.S.P.  menstruum  is  used,  for 
the  emulsion  always  formed  can  be  titrated,  and  is  broken  up  as 
the  decinormal  alkali  is  dropped  in  with  vigorous  stirring. 
Some  of  the  advantages  claimed  for  this  assay  process  are:  (1) 
The  complete  and  easy  exhaustion  of  the  cinchona,  even  when  in 
coarse  powder,  by  10  per  cent,  acetic  acid.  (2)  The  success  of  the 
shaking  out  without  emulsion  by  the  use  of  large  quantities  of 
chloroform  and  very  little  water,  and  (3)  by  the  control  of  loss  by 
having  all  the  residues  bitter-free  before  they  are  thrown  away. 
THE  ASSAY  OF  BELLADONNA  LEAVES.1 
By  Frank  X.  Moerk. 
In  the  March  issue  of  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  the 
writer,  in  an  article  on  "  The  Assay  of  Belladonna  Leaves  and  Some 
of  its  Preparations,"  called  attention  to  the  fallacy  of  Keller's  assay 
process,  and  to  the  difficulty  of  extracting  the  leaves  with  95  per 
cent,  alcohol,  and  proposed  a  process  in  which  complete  extraction 
of  the  leaves  with  the  official  fluid  extract  menstruum  (2  vols,  alco- 
hol and  I  vol.  water)  and  completion  of  the  assay  with  the  entire 
quantity  of  extract  was  recommended.  The  objections  to  this  pro- 
cess were  stated  to  be  the  time  required  for  its  execution,  and  some 
difficulties  due  to  the  presence  of  so  much  extractive  matter, 
namely,  the  emulsification  of  the  alkaline  extractions  (corrected  by 
the  use  of  stearic  acid),  the  separation  of  a  pulverulent  precipitate 
(removed  by  filtration)  and  the  presence  of  chlorophyl  in  the  alka- 
'Read  at  the  Meeting  of  the  Pennsylvania  Pharmaceutical  Association, 
June,  1899. 
