THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
 // 
OCTOBER,  1906. 
THE  ALKALOID AL  ASSAYS  OF  THE  U.S.P.  OF  1900. 
By  H.  M.  Gordin. 
Having  been  asked  by  the  editor  of  this  Journal  to  make  a 
review  of  the  methods  adopted  in  the  last  edition  of  the  U.S.P.  for 
the  assay  of  alkaloidal  drugs  and  their  galenical  preparations,  I 
hereby  offer  a  few  observations  which  occurred  to  me  during  this 
examination  of  the  pharmacopceial  methods. 
On  examining  the  assay  methods  of  crude  drugs  it  will  be  noticed 
that  different  methods  are  used  for  different  drugs  without  any  good 
reason  so  far  as  I  can  see.  While  it  is  true  that  not  every  method 
is  suitable  for  every  drug,  it  would  nevertheless  seem  to  be  advisable 
to  adhere  to  one  and  the  same  method  wherever  it  gives  as  good 
results  in  one  case  as  in  another.  Comparing,  for  example,  the 
methods  adopted  for  the  assay  of  aconite,  belladonna  and  ipecac, 
it  is  difficult  to  see  why  the  simple  method  adopted  for  the  first  of 
these  drugs  would  not  give  as  good  and  concordant  results  with  the 
other  two.  In  the  same  way,  on  comparing  the  assay  methods  for 
the  fluid  extracts  of  cinchona  bark,  aconite,  belladonna  and  ipecac 
roots,  it  would  seem  that  the  simple  and  exact  method  adopted  for 
the  assay  of  the  fluid  extract  of  belladonna  root  would  also  give 
good  and  concordant  results  with  the  other  fluid  extracts,  particu- 
larly if  ether  or  a  mixture  of  ether  and  chloroform  were  substituted 
for  chloroform.  That  the  methods  which  give  good  results  with 
belladonna  root  and  its  fluid  extract  are  equally  well  applicable  to 
aconite  root  and  its  fluid  extract,  for  example,  is  in  accord  with  my 
own  experience  as  well  as  with  the  statements  of  A.  B.  Lyons  in 
his  well  known  Hand-book  of  Practical  Assaying  of  Drugs  and  Galen- 
icals, where  the  author  uses  the  same  methods  for  the  assay  of 
both  of  these  drugs  and  their  fluid  extracts. 
(453) 
