84 
Sp.  uEfheris  Nitrosi,  B.  P. 
/Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1    Feb.  1,  1871. 
kept  a  few  days.  Doubtless  the  keeping  properties  of  sp.  nitr.  are 
in  direct  proportion  to  its  strength  in  ether.  A  5  per  cent,  solution 
is,  I  think,  more  desirable  than  the  present  strength,  and  it  would 
approach  nearer  to  that  usually  sent  out  by  the  wholesale  houses.  I 
have  reason  to  believe  it  is  never  sent  out  of  the  strength  ordered  in 
the  B.  P. 
The  only  possible  remedy  to  prevent  this  decomposition  that  I  can 
conceive  may  be  the  introduction  of  some  other  substance  which  will 
exert  a  preservative  influence  over  it.  I  have  not  made  any  experi- 
ments in  this  direction,  but  they  are  well  worthy  our  attention.  Some 
organic  substance,  such  as  C  H  CI3,  might  possible  be  of  use.  I  see 
acetic  ether  recommended  in  one  of  the  American  Journals  of  phar- 
macy, but  can  say  nothing  of  it  from  experience. 
Before  concluding,  I  should  like  to  say  a  word  or  two  of  a  practice 
which  I  consider  highly  reprehensible.    Most  of  the  wholesale  houses? 
I  believe,  send  out  what  they  term  solutio  aetheris  nitrosi  1  to  7  for 
the  purpose  of  making  sp.  aether,  nit.,  and  doubtless  the  confiding 
pharmacist  considers  he  has  got  hold  of  a  most  convenient  article  for 
making  this  otherwise  uncertain  preparation.    I  have  even  heard  of 
its  being  used  in  the  proportion  of  3j  for  every     of  spiritus  setheris 
nitrosi  ordered  and  trusting  to  the  other  tinctures  ordered  in  the 
mixture  to  make  the  requisite  amount  of  spirit.    I  had  occasion  the 
other  day  to  examine  a  sample  of  this  preparation  procured  from  a 
respectable  wholesale  house.    It  was  received  in  a  stoppered  bottle 
covered  with  yellow  paper,  on  the  label  of  which  were  the  words 
"  Solut.  setheris  nitros.    1  part  added  to  7  parts  of  sp.  vini  rect.  (56 
per  cent.)  forms  the  sp.  aetheris  nitrosi  of  the  British  Pharmacopoeia." 
Thus,  its  pretensions  were  very  explicit  indeed,  informing  you  of  the 
strength  your  spirit  ought  to  be,  and  also  exactly  defining  what  the 
mixture  would  be  when  made.    Now,  as  the  label  contained  no  special 
precaution  for  keeping  and  storing  this  solution,  I  was  rather  doubtful 
of  its  assertions,  for  a  solution  of  this  strength  ought  to  contain  80 
per  cent,  of  C2H5NO2 ;  and  as  C2H5NO2  boils  at  about  65°  F.,  this 
solution  must  be  very  dangerous  to  store,  especially  in  summer,  and 
unless  some  special  precautions  were  adopted  ;  but  I  soon  found  there 
were  no  fears  to  be  entertained  on  this  account.    The  sp.  gr.  was 
found  to  be  •SS'^,  and  the  separation  by  the  CaCl  test  about  3  per 
cent.,  thus  corresponding  to  11  per  cent,  of  CgH^NO  instead  of  80,  or 
1  per  cent,  above  the  strength  of  spirit  seth.  nit.  of  the  B.  P.  Now, 
