488  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  {A^ob£,wfem 
Estimation  of  Caseine  (a  preliminary  study).  By  H.  V.  Amy 
and  T.  M.  Pratt.    To  be  published  in  a  later  issue  of  this  Journal. 
Gelsemium  Root.  By  L.  E.  Sayre.  Presented  by  Chas.  Caspari, 
Jr.  A  comparison  was  made  of  the  fresh  and  dried  root.  By 
the  process  of  alkaloidal  extraction  a  quantitative  estimation  of 
the  fresh  and  dried  root  was  made  ;  the  comparative  estimation 
being  based  mainly  upon  alkaloidal  content.  Physiological  data 
were  also  referred  to. 
The  three  following  papers  were  presented  by  W.  A.  Puckner: 
Estimation  of  Caffeine  in  Presence  of  Acetanilide.  In  estimating 
acetanilide  and  caffeine  in  headache  remedies  the  extraction  of 
both  from  an  acid  medium  by  means  of  chloroform  and  the  subse- 
quent precipitation  of  caffeine  as  periodide  suggested  itself.  The 
details  are  given  which  lead  to  the  adoption  of  a  method  in  which 
acetanilide  and  caffeine  are  extracted  by  chloroform  in  presence  of 
sulphuric  acid,  the  chloroform  distilled  off,  the  residue  dried  to  ob- 
tain caffeine  plus  acetanilide.  From  this  residue  the  caffeine  is  then 
extracted,  precipitated  with  iodine,  the  periodide  decomposed  with 
sodium  sulphite  and  the  caffeine  extracted  with  chloroform. 
Notes  on  the  Estimation  of  Caffeine.  Experiments  made  to 
determine  the  conditions  under  which  caffeine  may  be  dried  without 
loss,  show:  (a)  If  caffeine,  dried  at  95c,  is  dissolved  in  water  or 
chloroform,  evaporated  at  a  room  temperature  and  dried  over  sul- 
phuric acid,  practically  the  original  weight  is  obtained.  {&}  If  caf- 
feine, dried  at  95',  is  dissolved  in  chloroform,  the  solvent  evaporated 
from  a  shallow  dish  at  $oz-6oz  and  dried  at  this  temperature  prac- 
tically the  original  weight  is  obtained.  While  vaporization  can  be 
demonstrated,  it  is  not  sufficient  to  affect  the  results  of  quantitative 
work.  (c)  From  a  chloroform  solution  of  caffeine  the  solvent  ma)' 
be  distilled  off  and  the  residue  dried  at  95  c  without  loss  of  caffeine. 
If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  solution  is  contained  in  a  shallow  dish  and 
after  evaporation  is  dried  at  95  :,  then  an  appreciable  loss  of  caffeine 
occurs.  Tasilly's  conclusions,  that  caffeine  does  not  become  anhy- 
drous, even  if  dried  at  HO°,  were  in  a  measure  confirmed. 
The  Estimation  of  Aceta7iilide.  Incidental  to  the  estimation  of 
acetanilide  in  certain  headache  remedies  it  became  desirable  to  make 
experiments  relative  to  the  temperature  at  which  ether  or  chloro- 
form, this  having  been  used  to  separate  it  from  other  constituents, 
could  be  expelled  and  the  residue  obtained  in  condition  "or  weigh- 
ing.   These  experiments  show  that  acetanilide  is  quite  volatile  at 
