344  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  {^°'-juiy^i^^''°^- 
ABSTEACTS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
Translated  for  The  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy. 
Rapid  Prepapatiox  of  Mercurial  Ointment. — A  quick  and 
easy  method  is  proposed  by  Jacquemaire,  J.  de  ph.  et  de  chim.,  May 
15,  1888,  who  uses  in  the  process  1  part  of  potassium  or  sodium  (the 
former  preferred),  to  1000  parts  of  mercury.  There  is  no  modifica- 
tion of  the  metal,  and  the  lard  is  but  slightly  saponified.  The  mer- 
cury should  be  heated  to  dryness  and  the  potassium  added  in  small 
fragments  while  stirring  ;  a  slight  crackling  denotes  the  desired  change 
and  the  mass  is  then  poured  into  a  mortar  containing  the  lard,  where 
it  is  rapidly  beaten.  The  mercury  becomes  fully  absorbed,  even  in 
large  quantities,  in  about  ten  minutes. 
A  NEW  Oxygen  Compound  from  Sulphur. — At  a  meeting  of 
the  Paris  Societe  de  Pharmacie  (May  2),  Mr.  Yilliers  said  that  he  had 
introduced  sulphurous  acid  into  a  well  closed  phial  containing  crystals 
of  hyposulphite  of  sodium  and  remarked  48  hours  afterward  that  the 
acid  had  been  absorbed.  The  operation  was  repeated  until  absorption 
ended.  He  then  found  that  he  had  two  salts,  one  of  trithionate  of 
sodium,  and  one  of  soda  with  a  new  acid.  In  the  air  the  trithionate 
effloresced  ;  the  other  crystals  were  gathered  and  recrystallized.  This 
sodic  salt  is  stable  ;  the  acid  has  not  yet  been  isolated.  Arch,  de  phar.j 
June  5,  1888. 
Sulphate  of  Zinc — Its  Dangerous  Acidity. — This  salt — in 
common  with  other  combinations  of  strong  acids  with  weak  bases — 
usually  gives  an  acid  reaction.  It  is  very  largely  used  in  ophthal- 
mology. A  Belgian  druggist  barely  escaped  a  suit  some  time  since  for 
having  dispensed  it  knowing  that  it  contained  free  acid.  In  fact,  the 
processes  of  manufacture  consist  in  saturating  dilute  sulphuric  with 
zinc  oxide  or  metallic  zinc,  and,  after  evaporation,  to  add  acid,  to  pre- 
vent the  formation  of  a  basic  salt.  Professor  Gille  instructs  his 
scholars  in  pharmacy  to  treat  the  compound  as  follows  :  Dissolve  50 
cgm.  of  sulphate  of  zinc  in  50  gm.  of  distilled  water.  Take  a  glass 
rod,  wet  with  ammonia,  and  place  it  in  contact  with  the  surface  of  the 
solution.  A  clouded  zone  is  produced  by  the  hydrated  zinc  oxide 
which  has  been  freed  by  the  ammonia.  Agitation  of  the  solution 
causes  a  persistence  of  the  cloudiness  if  the  sulphate  is  pure  ;  but  the 
liquid  becomes  limpid  if  there  is  free  acid  present.  The  solution  must 
be  dilute,  otherwise  a  soluble  basic  sulphate  forms  with  the  zinc 
