Am'jja°nuri8^6.arm'}  Pharmaceutical  Colleges  and  Associations.  39 
adulteration,  it  would  not  be  proper  to  prepare  the  medicinal  acid  from  it.  There 
is  some  difficulty  in  getting  rid  of  the  nitric  acid,  and  too  high  a  heat  will  generate 
pyrophosphoric  acid. 
Prof.  Remington  suggested,  that  if  an  acid  which  would  not  at  first  mix  clear 
with  the  tincture,  were  allowed  to  stand  some  time,  a  change  would  take  place  \  and 
said  that  an  acid  could  not  be  made  from  the  glacial  acid  that  would  answer  for 
this  purpose  unless  free  nitric  acid  was  purposely  left  in  it.  Prof.  Maisch 
did  not  agree  in  this  statement.  Like  Prof.  Grahame,  he  had  observed  glacial  phos- 
phoric acid  containing  sodium  compound  to  be  completely  converted  into  ortho- 
phosphoric  acid  ;  it  is  an  old  method,  practiced  in  analytical  laboratories,  to  con- 
vert pyrophosphates  into  orthophosphates,  by  boiling  them  with  nitric  acid.  He 
had  pointed  out,  three  years  ago,  to  a  number  of  persons,  the  cause  of  the  difficulty 
with  the  dilute  phosphoric  acid  made  from  glacial  acid.  J.  W.  Worthington  had 
avoided  this  difficulty  by  preparing  the  acid  from  phosphorus,  procured  from  the 
manufactory  on  the  Rancocas,  which  he  believed  was  the  only  one  of  the  kind  in 
the  country. 
Dr.  Pyle  had  tested  the  acid  prepared  by  Prof.  Markoe's  process  for  ammonia, 
by  saturating  with  caustic  soda,  but  did  not  perceive  any  odor  of  ammonia.  A 
sample  of  an  acid,  prepared  by  the  same  process  by  A.  P.  Brown,  was  tested  by 
Prof.  Maisch,  and  found  to  contain  some  ammonia. 
Dr.  A.  W.  Miller  read  the  following  note  on  "  Substitution  of  Gentiana  catesbaei  C 
kl  Mr.  M.  E.  Hyams,  of  Statesville,  N.  C,  in  a  recent  communication  to  the  writer,  states  it  as  his 
firm  belief  that  no  true  root  of  Gentiana  catesbaei  is  to  be  found  in  the  market.  Mr.  Hyams  states,  that 
among  the  gatherers  in  the  South  the  Triosteum  fierfoliatum  is  known  as  American  gentian,  and  there- 
fore invariably  sent  out  as  blue  gentian,  although  there  is  a  marked  difference  in  the  appearance  of  the 
two  roots,  as  well  as  in  that  of  the  plants. 
"The  term  'horse  gentian'  is  given  by  Gray  as  a  synonym  for  the  triosteum.  According  to  Mr. 
Hyams,  none  of  the  gatherers  in  his  vicinity  are  acquainted  with  the  true  Gentiana  catesbaei." 
Prof.  Maisch  had,  some  years  ago,  tried  to  get  specimens  of  the  two  roots  for  his 
cabinet,  but  could  find  none  in  the  market.  The  two  have  no  resemblance  what- 
ever, the  subterraneous  portion  of  Triosteum  being  a  knotty,  horizontal  rhizome, 
with  long  woody  roots,  while  the  gentian  has  a  true  root,  resembling  that  of  Genti- 
ana lutea,  but  being  much  smaller  and  lighter  in  color. 
Dr.  Miller  suggested,  that  as  the  gatherers  were  bringing  it  in,  there  must  be 
purchasers  for  it  somewhere. 
A.  P.  Brown  presented  two  specimens  of  spirit  of  nitrous  ether  ;  one  a  commer- 
cial article,  the  other  made  in  his  store.  In  addition  to  containing  the  proper 
amount  of  nitrous  ether,  about  5  per  cent.,  it  makes  a  transparent  mixture  with 
copaiba,  which  the  commercial  article  fails  to  do. 
Adjourned  to  meet  on  January  18,  at  8  o'clock  P.  M. 
WILLIAM  McINTYRE,  Registrar. 
PHARMACEUTICAL  COLLEGES  AND  ASSOCIATIONS. 
New  York  Alumni  Association  of  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. — 
The  regular  monthly  meeting  was  held  in  Plimpton  Hall,  Tuesday  evening,  Decem- 
ber 7th. 
