378 
Tincture  of  Kino. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1      August,  1903. 
cent,  by  volume.  In  the  writer's  opinion,  changes  in  neither  of 
these  directions  were  desirable,  and  the  present  official  formula  has 
not  in  my  experience  been  satisfactory,  and  from  the  fact  that  this 
year  queries  are  again  presented  to  both  the  Pennsylvania  and  the 
New  Jersey  Pharmaceutical  Associations  "  requesting  a  formula  for 
tincture  of  kino  that  will  keep,"  I  presume  that  the  experience  of 
other  pharmacists  is  in  harmony  with  my  own. 
A  very  serious  and  practical  objection  to  the  use  of  glycerin,  at 
least  to  the  extent  officially  directed,  is  the  fact  that  it  makes  filtra- 
tion exceedingly  slow,  greatly  protracting  the  exposure  and  thus 
inducing  the  very  changes  that  cause  gelatinization. 
One  operation  by  a  clerk  who  prepared  200  c.c.  of  the  tincture 
adhering  closely  to  the  official  process,  required  several  weeks  to 
complete.  Better  results  were  obtained  by  adding  the  glycerin  to 
the  filtered  alcoholic  tincture  instead  ot  using  in  the  menstruum. 
Displacement  has  been  highly  recommended  in  the  preparation 
of  this  tincture,  but  in  my  hands  was  not  satisfactory.  An  attempt 
to  prepare  200  c.c,  using  equal  bulk  of  sand  to  powder  and  distribute 
the  kino  and  using  the  official  menstruum  (1890),  required  nearly 
six  weeks  to  complete. 
The  use  of  15  grammes  of  sugar  to  distribute  the  kino  and  replace 
the  glycerin  in  100  c.c.  of  tincture  was  tried  and  shortened  the  time 
of  percolation  decidedly.  Other  experiments  tried  consisted  in  the 
addition  of  potassa  and  of  ammonia. 
But  the  addition  of  all  such  extraneous  substances  was  considered 
undesirable  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  suggestions  in  some 
of  the  published  papers  to  add  magnesium  carbonate,  catechu, 
logwood,  etc.  After  experimenting  practically  for  more  than  a 
decade  with  the  various  suggestions  as  to  additions  and  menstruums, 
I  have  obtained  the  most  satisfactory  results  with  the  following 
formula : 
Take  of 
Kino  100  grammes. 
Diluted  alcohol,  sufficient  quantity  to  make  1,000  c.c. 
Rub  the  kino  in  a  mortar  with  250  c.c.  of  diluted  alcohol  previ- 
ously warmed  to  500  C.  When  saturated  decant  the  solution  and 
repeat  with  successive  portions  of  warm  diluted  al:ohol  until  1, 000  c.c. 
of  the  mixed  solution  is  obtained.  Filter  and  wash  the  filter  and 
dregs  with  sufficient  diluted  alcohol  to  obtain  1,000  c.c.  of  finished 
