Am.  Jour  Pharm.  1 
Feb.  1, 1871.  J 
Precipitation  of  Quinia,  etc. 
51 
acid,  in  contact  with  organic  bodies,  is  very  liable  to  undergo  decom- 
position, and  since  an  organic  body  in  such  a  condition  is  apt  to  pre- 
dispose others,  with  which  it  may  be  in  direct  contact,  to  similar 
-changes,  it  is  a  question  of  great  moment  whether  the  addition  of 
acetic  acid  to  our  officinal  fluid  extracts  of  ergot  and  of  ipecacuanha 
'  may  not  be  more  detrimental  than  useful. 
ON  THE  PRECIPITATION  OF  QUINIA  BY  IODIDE  OF  POTAS- 
SIUM FROM  ACID  SOLUTIONS. 
By  J.  M.  Maisch. 
Read  before  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy,  at  the  Pharmaceutical 
Meeting,  Dec.  20,  1870. 
Some  time  ago  the  following  prescription  was  received : 
R.  Quinise  Sulphatis,       .        .        .        -    g^-  xv. 
Potassii  lodidi,  .....  ^i. 
Tinct.  Ferri  Chloridi,         .        .        .  .:^i. 
Aquse,       ......  giv. 
Syrupi  Zingib.,  ^i. 
M. 
The  quinia  salt  was  dissolved  in  the  tincture  of  iron,  the  potassium 
iodide  in  the  water,  and  the  solutions  mixed  ;  a  brown  precipitate  was 
at  once  formed.  The  quinia  salt  was  now  dissolved  in  the  water  with 
the  addition  of  a  little  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  the  iodide  added,  and 
after  solution  had  taken  place,  the  tincture  of  iron  ;  the  same  result 
was  produced. 
It  was  now  supposed  that  the  iodide  might  contain  some  iodate, 
that  on  the  addition  of  an  acid,  iodine  was  liberated,  which,  with  the 
excess  of  iodide,  would  form  biniodide  of  potassium,  and  that  the 
precipitation  occurred  in  consequence  of  the  presence  of  this  com- 
pound. But  when  the  solution  of  the  iodide  (Atkinson  &  Biggar's) 
was  acidulated  w^ith  muriatic  acid,  a  reddish  color  was  not  produced, 
nor  would  starch  paste  brought  in  contact  with  the  liquid  acquire  a 
blue  color ;  iodic  acid  was  therefore  not  present. 
Righini  stated  (Journal  de  Chim.  m^d.  xiii,  116)  that  bisulphate  of 
quinia  produces  with  iodide  of  potassium  a  red  pulverulent  precipi- 
tate. 
A  considerable  quantity  of  iodide  of  potassium  was  dissolved  in  a 
solution  of  one  part  of  sulphate  of  quinia  in  20  water,  the  solution  of 
