522 
The  Pharmacy  of  Oxy-pinene. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\  November,  1915. 
Rosae,  Adeps  Lanae  Hydros.,  etc.,  are  to  be  avoided  on  account  of 
the  water  they  contain.  Also,  the  ingredients  should  not  be  melted 
together,  or,  if  they  are,  the  oxy-pinene  should  not  be  added  until 
they  are  cold,  as  any  excess  of  heat  will  cause  "  the  intermolecular  or 
auto-oxidation  "  mentioned  by  Dr.  Blomen  in  his  paper  above  re- 
ferred to. 
In  making  suppositories,  the  heat  required  to  melt  a  cocoa 
butter  base  is  so  little  that  it  need  not  be  considered;  but,  as  oxy- 
pinene  does  not  combine  well  with  cocoa  butter,  and  as  there  are  so 
many  qualities  of  cocoa  butter  on  the  market,  and  as  there  is  another 
substance  superior  in  every  way  and  inferior  in  no  respect,  we  need 
not  hesitate  to  mention  stearate  from  cocoanut  oil  as  being  the  best 
vehicle. 
About  one  per  cent,  of  oxy-pinene  in  rectal  and  vaginal  supposi- 
tories has  given  excellent  results  clinically. 
For  use  in  treating  eczema,  skin  affections,  hemorrhoids,  etc.,  a 
very  efficient  compound  ointment  has  been  in  use  for  some  time  in 
an  experimental  way  clinically.  It  is  made  by  using  a  base  composed 
of  cocoanut  oil  and  petrolatum,  talcum,  starch  and  oxide  of  zinc, 
resorcinol,  and  oxy-pinene. 
Considerable  experimental  work  has  been  done  in  an  endeavor  to 
produce  a  powder  for  dusting  wounds  and  for  internal  administration 
in  enteric  pill  or  capsule  form.  It  is  believed  that  diatomaceous  earth 
produces  the  best  results. 
A  powder  made  by  incorporating  one  part  of  oxy-pinene  with 
two  parts  of  Kieselguhr  is  satisfactory.  Such  powder  should  be 
kept  in  sealed  containers,  for  not  only  is  oxy-pinene  in  this  form 
liable  to  undergo  auto-oxidation,  but  the  Kieselguhr  seems  to  have 
a  catalytic  action,  as  the  powder  gains  considerable  in  weight  when 
exposed  to  air  for  a  comparatively  short  time.  One  would  suppose 
this  extra  weight  to  be  water  from  moisture  in  the  air,  but  careful 
chemical  examination  has  proved  it  to  be  oxygen.  It  is  therefore  a 
fact  that  through  the  catalytic  action  of  Kieselguhr  this  powder 
absorbs  oxygen  from  the  air,  which  makes  it  a  more  valuable  dressing 
for  wounds  than  it  would  otherwise  be. 
Dr.  Waters  has  found  oxy-pinene  vapor  to  be  a  useful  form  with 
which  to  treat  disease.  It  is  not  a  gas,  but  a  vapor,  and  is  made 
up  of  such  finely-divided  particles  that  it  floats  about  in  the  air, 
resembling  smoke.  It  is  produced  by  bringing  pinene  (C10H16) 
vapor  and  ozonized  air  into  intimate  contact  in  a  mixing  chamber. 
