Am.  Jora,  Pharm.  1 
Aug.  1, 1871.  J 
Note  on  Chloral  Hydrate, 
345 
posed  to  the  influence  of  the  atmosphere,  the  stopper  of  the  bottle 
containing  it  having  been  removed  for  several  months,  so  that  it  had 
evaporated  to  at  least  two-thirds ;  yet  it  remains  as  good  as  when 
freshly  made,  without  any  apparent  tendency  to  gelatinize. 
The  menstruum  might  be  somewhat  modified,  perhaps  with  advan- 
tage, as,  for  instance,  by  using  proportionally  less  alcohol  and  more 
glycerin  and  water,  or  vice  versa.  At  any  rate  I  will  give  it  for  what 
it  is  worth  ;  adding  at  the  same  time  the  suggestion — and  it  is  only  a 
suggestion — that  the  same  menstruum  be  employed  in  preparing  tinct. 
catechu,  which,  though  not  so  liable  to  gelatinize  as  tinct.  kino,  yet 
sometimes  does  so. 
NOTE  ON  CHLORAL  HYDRATE. 
By  Ciias.  a.  Boehme. 
Some  three  or  four  months  since  we  obtained  from  one  of  the 
leading  drug  houses  in  New  York,  a  couple  of  pound  bottles  of  chloral 
hydrate.  One  of  these  was  opened  as  soon  as  received,  but  nothing 
special  noted  in  its  contents.  To  all  appearances  it  was  a  good  sam- 
ple ;  a  solution  of  it  not  being  disturbed  by  nitrate  of  silver,  and 
showing  no  alcohol  with  Lichen's  iodoform  test. 
The  second  bottle  was  placed  in  a  store-room  up  stairs,  where  it 
remained  until  recently  securely  sealed.  On  opening  it  a  dense  cloud 
of  fumes  was  observed  to  issue  from  its  mouth  ;  this  appeared  out  of 
place,  so  the  package  was  set  aside  until  the  phenomenon  could  be  in- 
vestigated. After  two  or  three  days  the  bottle  was  opened  again, 
when  the  fumes  issued  as  before.  These  fumes  had  the  characteristic 
odor  of  chloral  hydrate,  but  were  somewhat  more  stifling.  They 
reddened  moistened  blue  litmus  paper,  and  became  whiter  and  more 
dense  when  approached  by  a  rod  dipped  in  ammonia.  With  a  drop 
of  a  solution  of  nitrate  of  silver,  suspended  in  a  watch-glass,  they 
gave  a  white  curdy  precipitate.  Iodized  starch  paper  was  not  af- 
fected by  them.  Hence,  I  concluded  they  consisted,  in  part  at  least, 
of  hydrochloric  acid. 
The  lumps  of  the  hydrate  near  the  top  of  the  bottle  had  crumbled 
to  a  crystalline  powder.  This  dissolved  freely  in  distilled  water  and 
somewhat  in  chloroform.  In  turpentine  and  bisulphide  of  carbon  it 
was  insoluble. 
A  portion  of  it  was  dissolved  in  distilled  water;  the  resulting 
