8i8 
Correspondence. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
*    December,  1919. 
Insufficient  knowledge  on  the  part  of  the  producer,  both  as  to 
requirements  and  acceptable  methods  for  testing,  has  been  one  cause 
for  any  dissatisfaction  relative  to  reagents.  Some  makers  have  sig- 
nified a  willingness  to  follow  standard  specifications  and  methods 
of  testing,  and  the  committee  therefore  proposes  to  begin  work  on 
the  specifications  for  sulphuric,  nitric,  and  hydrochloric  acids  and 
ammonja.  This  will  be  followed  with  specifications  for  other 
reagents. 
It  is  requested  that  suggestions  be  sent  to  the  secretary  of  the 
committee,  W.  D.  Collins,  Bureau  of  Chemistry,  Washington,  indi- 
cating the  specifications  which  would  be  acceptable,  the  uses  to 
which  the  reagents  are  put  in  any  special  case,  and  the  methods 
which  are  satisfactory  in  determining  the  purity  of  the  reagents  and 
the  presence  and  amount  of  objectionable  impurities. 
In  the  near  future  cooperation  in  the  standardization  of  labora- 
tory apparatus  will  be  sought. 
Chemicals  Received  by  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry  During  the 
War.1 
By  H.  E.  Buc. 
(Abstract.) 
1.  During  the  last  four  years  about  1,300  shipments  of  chemicals 
from  a  large  number  of  dealers  and  manufacturers  have  been  tested 
in  the  Bureau  of  Chemistry.  The  greater  part  of  the  reagents  bore 
an  analysis  on  the  label. 
2.  Most  of  the  chemicals  examined  are  satisfactory.  Occasional 
impurities  are  found  often  enough  in  chemicals  from  practically  all 
manufacturers  to  make  it  necessary  to  test  all  shipments. 
3.  The  standard  acids,  ammonia,  alkali  salts  and  alkali,  and  most 
of  the  organic  solvents  are  generally  satisfactory. 
4.  The  soluble  salts  other  than  alkali  salts  are  generally  accept- 
able but  are  seldom  of  a  high  degree  of  purity. 
5.  Certain  organic  solvents  and  solids  are  either  unobtainable  or 
unsatisfactory. 
6.  The  insoluble  products  are  generally  unfit  for  use  in  analyt- 
ical work. 
1  Published  in  Journal  of  Industrial  and  Engineering  Chemistry,  Decem- 
ber, 1919. 
