Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,-  19 1 9. 
Emetin e  HydroMorid e 
277 
These  results  indicate : 
1.  That  the  U.  S.  P.  test  for  cephseline,  if  literally  interpreted, 
would  exclude  the  majority  of  the  emetine  hydrochloride  on  the 
market. 
2.  That  a  material  proportion  of  cephseline  is  not  present  in  the 
emetine  hydrochloride  on  the  market. 
3.  A  quantitative  test  along  the  lines  suggested  in  this  paper 
should  be  resorted  to  in  the  event  of  an  apparently  excessive  propor- 
tion of  cephaeline  being  indicated  by  the  U.  S.  P.  limit  test. 
4.  The  adoption  of  an  upper  limit  of  3  per  cent,  of  cephseline  in 
connection  with  a  quantitative  test  would  insure  the  absence  of  ex- 
cessive proportion  of  cephaeline  in  the  emetine  hydrochloride  on  the 
market. 
The  Effect  of  Heat  of  Emetine  Hydrochloride. 
If  the  alkaloids  of  ipecac  obtained  during  the  assay  process  are 
allowed  to  remain  on  the  steam  bath  after  the  ethereal  solvent  has 
evaporated,  darkening  and  disintegration  of  the  alkloids  results.  Of 
three  experiments  in  which  the  alkaloids  were  kept  at  water-bath 
temperature  for  five  minutes  after  the  ethereal  solvent  had  evap- 
orated, 6.7  per  cent.,  6.0  per  cent,  and  3.0  per  cent.,  respectively,  of 
the  total  amount  of  alkaloids  present  was  lost.1 
Since  the  alkaloids  of  ipecac  are  somewhat  sensitive  to  heat,  and 
as  emetine  is  one  of  the  alkaloids  of  ipecac,  attention  was  given  to 
the  influence  of  the  heat  used  in  sterilizing  ampule  solutions  of 
emetine  hydrochloride. 
Experiments  were  made  by  selecting  three  different  lots  of  U. 
S.  P.  emetine  hydrochloric,  assaying  them  volumetrically,  weighing 
out  the  theoretical  quantities  based  on  the  assays,  to  prepare  definite 
volumes  of  solutions  containing  0.5  Gm.  anhydrous  emetine  hydro- 
chloride per  100  mils ;  0.5  grain  anhydrous  emetine  hydrochloride 
per  mil,  and  0.666  grain  anhydrous  emetine  hydrochloride  per  mil, 
respectively.  These  three  solutions  were  placed  in  ampules,  sealed 
and  heated  at  about  1150  C.  until  sterile.  A  very  slight  darkening  of 
the  solution  occurred  in  each  case.  The  three  solutions  were  then 
assayed  volumetrically  with  the  following  results,  respectively : 
0.512  Gm.     anhydrous  emetine  hydrochloride, 
0.485  grain 
0.687  " 
1  Ewe,  G.  E.,  and  Vanderkleed.  Chas.  E.,  Proceedings  Penna.  Pharm. 
Assoc.,  1914,  P-  275. 
