386  Fluid  Extract  and  Syrup  of  Ipecacuanha.  {  ^a^xST"" 
forms  a  perfectly  transparent  syrup,  and  which,  after  standing  nearly  a 
year,  shows  only  a  very  slight  precipitate.  But  as  the  whole  of  the 
percolate  is  twice  subjected  to  the  action  of  heat  during  the  process  I 
suggest  the  following  formulas  for  the  fluid  extract,  in  one  of  which  the 
dilute  percolate  only  is  evaporated,  and  in  the  other  no  heat  whatever 
is  employed  ;  the  use  of  acetic  acid  is  also  avoided. 
By  simple  percolation  100  parts  of  ipecacuanha  are  treated  with  a 
menstruum  composed  of  3  parts  of  alcohol,  s.  g.  '822,  and  1  part 
water,  — s.  g.  '8798,  the  first  75  parts  of  percolate  are  reserved,  the 
percolation  continued  to  exhaustion,  the  dilute  percolate  evaporated  on 
a  water-bath  to  the  consistence  of  a  soft  extract,  which  is  dissolved  in 
sufficient  of  the  menstruum  to  make  25  parts,  and  then  added  to  the 
reserved  portion.  The  specific  gravity  of  this  fluid  extract  is  '942  at 
70°F.,  and  it  contains  20  per  cent,  of  dry  extract. 
Using  the  same  menstruum,  another  fluid  extract  was  prepared  by 
repercolation  as  follows  :  400  grams  of  ipecacuanha  were  taken,  and 
divided  into  three  equal  portions ;  the  first  portion  was  moistened, 
packed  and  macerated  as  in  simple  percolation,  and  the  percolate  taken 
in  portions  of  about  100  grams;  from  this  portion  none  of  the  perco- 
late was  reserved.  The  second  portion  was  treated  with  the  percolates 
from  the  first,  using  them  in  the  order  in  which  they  were  obtained  ; 
from  this  portion  the  first  134  grams  of  percolate  was  reserved.  The 
third  portion  was  treated  with  the  dilute  percolates  from  the  second 
portion,  in  their  regular  order  ;  from  this  portion  the  first  266  grams 
of  percolate  was  reserved  and  mixed  with  the  134  grams  reserved  from 
the  second  portion,  forming  the  400  grams  of  fluid  extract.  The  spe- 
cific gravity  of  this  fluid  extract  is  '938  at  70°F.,  and  it  contains  18  per 
cent,  of  dry  extract,  showing  a  loss  by  this  process  of  2  per  cent,  of 
the  dry  extract.  The  percolation  was  continued  until  the  ipecacuanha 
was  thoroughly  exhausted  ;  this  percolate  was  carefully  evaporated  and 
finally  dried  on  a  watch-glass,  yielding  i'6%  per  cent,  of  dry  extract, 
and  bringing  the  total  amount  to  19*63  per  cent.,  only  '37  per  cent, 
less  than  was  obtained  by  simple  percolation.  In  the  practical  work- 
ing of  this  formula  all  loss  could  be  avoided  by  setting  aside  the  reserve 
percolate  from  the  third  portion  when  a  few  grams  short  of  the  required 
quantity,  and  then  continuing  the  percolation  to  exhaustion,  evaporating 
this  weak  percolate  to  a  soft  extract,  dissolving  it  in  sufficient  of  the 
