144 
Artificial  Fruit  Essences. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Mar.,  1879. 
It  would  thus  appear  that,  independently  of  any  free  acid  that  may- 
be present  in  subnitrate  of  bismuth,  owing  to  insufficient  washing  (1) 
that  an  admixture  of  this  bismuth  salt  with  the  alkaline  carbonates  or 
bicarbonates  results  in  mutual  decomposition;  (2)  that  when  the  car- 
bonates are  used,  decomposition  without  effervescence  ensues;  and  (3) 
that  when  the  bicarbonates  are  used,  decomposition  with  liberation  of 
C02  takes  place. 
The  following  equations  will  render  these  propositions  intelligible: 
2BiON03^Na2C03=Bi202C03+2NaN03. 
2BiON034-2NaHC03=Bi202C03+2NaN03-^H204-G02. 
In  dispensing  such  mixtures  it  is  clearly  the  duty  of  the  compounder 
to  complete  as  far  as  possible  the  decomposition  before  sending  out  the 
mixture.  This  may  be  partially  effected  by  rubbing  the  two  salts  in  a 
mortar  with  a  little  hot  distilled  water  until  the  liquid  is  cold.  But, 
whenever  practicable,  the  attention  of  the  prescriber  should  be  drawn 
to  the  incompatibility  and  the  substitution  of  the  carbonate  suggested. 
— Phar.  Jour,  aud  Trans.,  Dec.  21.  1878. 
ARTIFICIAL  FRUIT  ESSENCES. 
By  the  Editor. 
Fourteen  years  ago,  Kletzinsky  published  formulas  for  fifteen  different  fruit 
essences  which, in  1 867,  were  republished  by  several  journals  (see  "Am.  Jour.  Pharm.," 
1867,  p.  238).  Several  of  these  formulas  were  again  produced  in  the  last  volume 
of  the  Confectioners'  Journal  without  any  alterations  except  that  in  the  essence  of 
apple  the  quantity  of  oxalic  acid  was  reduced  from  1  to  4  part,  and  glycerin  from 
4  to  2  parts;  in  essence  of  raspberry,  the  succinic  acid  was  entirely  oxmitted,  and 
essence  of  peach  was  directed  to  be  made  of  2  oz.  of  oil  of  bitter  almonds,  1  oz.  of 
acetic  ether  and  2  pints  of  alcohol,  but  the  latter  product  has  evidently  the  flavor  of 
peach  kernels  accompanied  by  a  slight  fruit  odor.  The  flavor  of  peach  fruit  may  be 
imitated  by  using  5  parts  each  of  acetic-butyric  andamylacetic  ethers,  £  part  (or 
less);  of  methyl-salicylic  ether  (oil  of  wintergreen),  2  or  3  parts  of  oil  of  bitter 
almonds,  and  80  or  100  parts  of  alcohol. 
Kletzin sky's  formulas  for  the  extracts  of  strawberry  and  raspberry  are  much 
improved  by  adding  from  10  to  20  per  cent,  of  tincture  of  orris  root.  If  desired 
the  rather  acrid  taste  of  this  tincture  may  be  removed  by  precipitating  the  resin,  and 
if  solution  of  acetate  of  lead  is  used  for  this  purpose,  the  filtrate  should  be  carefully 
freed  from  any  excess  of  lead  by  sulphuretted  hydrogen  or  by  agitation  with  solu- 
tion of  sulphate  of  sodium,  which  salt  being  insoluble  in  the  alcoholic  liquid,  will 
not  impart  to  it  its  peculiar  saline  taste.    The  tincture  of  orris  may  probably  be 
