228 
Extractum  Ruhi  Fluidum. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
May,  1886. 
a  thick  sediment  upon  the  bottom.  After  recovering  the  alcohol  from 
these  weak  percolates,  the  residue  left  in  the  still  was  quite  large  and 
of  a  mottled  brown  color.  This  improved  as  the  liquid  was  evapo- 
rated upon  a  water-bath,  and  by  the  time  it  was  in  the  condition  of  a 
soft  extract,  the  color  was  almost  pure  black,  as  it  should  be.  As  soon 
as  the  reserve  portion  was  added  to  the  evaporated  extract,  the  liquid 
assumed  a  brown  color,  and  after  standing  24  hours,  the  brown  por- 
tion sank  to  the  bottom,  while  the  remainder  of  the  liquid  regained  its 
original  black  color. 
All  the  preparations  behaved  in  the  same  manner,  but  in  the  more 
strongly  alcoholic  liquids  the  original  color  was  regained  more  rapidly 
and  the  deposit  was  slight,  while  in  Xos.  1  and  2  it  occupied  fully 
one-third  of  the  bottle. 
Nos.  3  and  4  were  very  much  alike  in  their  behavior.  The  reserve 
portions  of  both  stood  for  several  days  without  any  deposit  forming 
upon  the  sides  or  bottom  of  the  bottles.  There  was,  however,  a 
slight  deposit  in  the  bottle  which  received  the  weak  percolate  from  Xo, 
3.  In  the  case  of  No.  4,  the  weak  percolate  was  as  clear  when  the 
drug  was  exhausted  as  when  the  operation  commenced.  The  residue 
left  in  the  still  after  recovering  the  alcohol  from  Nos.  3  and  4,  was 
quite  small  compared  with  that  of  Nos.  1  and  2,  and  was  of  a  clear 
black  color.  As  mentioned  before,  when  the  reserve  portion  was 
added  to  the  evaporated  portion,  there  was  a  precipitation,  but  quite 
small  in  both  preparations. 
The  fluid  extracts  in  Nos.  3  and  4  w^ere  allowed  to  stand  for  some 
time,  and  then  filtered.  The  residue  collected  upon  the  filter  in  either 
case  was  very  small.  Washing  it  with  boiling  water  had  very  little 
effect,  except  to  take  out  the  coloring  matter  in  part.  What  remained 
was  of  a  white  waxy  appearance,  and  soluble  in  strong  alcohol.  It 
was  immediately  precipitated  from  its  alcoholic  solution  by  pouring  it 
into  water.  When  the  water  was  evaporated  and  the  residue  dried 
it  was  of  a  greenish  color  and  entirely  tasteless. 
Both  preparations  have  been  standing  for  over  a  month  since  they 
were  filtered,  and  as  yet  show  no  signs  of  decomposition,  and  by  their 
taste  one  is  assured  that  they  have  lost  little,  if  any,  of  their  astring- 
ency  on  account  of  the  precipitation  which  took  place  when  they  were 
first  made. 
No.  5  and  6  were  made  of  the  same  alcoholic  strength  as  3  and  4, 
but  contained  10  per  cent,  more  of  glycerin.    As  far  as  can  be  seen 
