Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
Mar.,  1883  j 
Adulterated  Gum  Arabic 
145 
NOTE  ON  UNGUENTUM  HYDRARGYRI  NITRATIS.^ 
Editor  of  the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy. 
Below  you  will  find  the  working  formula,  by  which  I  make  nitrate 
of  mercury  ointment,  which  is  not  affected  by  the  use  of  a  metallic 
spatula ;  as  I  told  you  to-day,  I  have  never  investigated  the  cause  of 
this  non-reduction. 
Take  of 
Mercury,  ....  3jss. 
Nitric  acid,    .         .         .  • 
Lard,       .....  ^ss. 
Neats'  foot  oil,        .         .         .  .^xijss. 
Powdered  camplior,     .         .  ^ss. 
Melt  the  fat  together  at  a  temperature  not  exceeding  170°F.,  dissolve 
the  camphor  in  the  hot  fats,  add  the  mercury  previously  dissolved  in 
the  nitric  acid,  and  stir  the  mixture  while  cooling. 
You  will  notice  that  I  use  less  acid  than  was  directed  by  the  Phar- 
macopoeia of  1870,  but  the  mercury  strength  is  the  same.  It  is  evident 
to  my  mind  that  the  camphor  has  some  effect  which  is  a  benefit  to  the 
preparation,  and  I  intend  to  investigate  the  reaction  that  takes  place  as 
soon  as  convenient. 
Yours,  etc. 
F.  M.  TiLTON,  Ph.G. 
Haddonfield,  N.  J.,  February  18,  1883. 
Tincture  of  Iodine.^ — In  preparing  this  tincture  I  observed 
that,  if  a  small  quantity  of  chloride  of  sodium  be  added  to  the  mixture  of 
iodine  and  alcohol  contained  in  a  glass  vessel,  the  iodine  became  very 
readily  soluble.  The  use  of  a  mortar  is  entirely  done  away  with,  and 
labor  and  trouble  might  be  saved  by  this  simple  addition. — Philadel- 
phia, Feb.  14,  1883;  Fred.  C.  Lehman,  Jr. 
Adulterated  Gum  Arabic. — Herz  has  met  with  a  gum  arable 
which,  besides  yellowish  and  reddish  pieces,  some  of  them  weighing 
40  gm.,  contained  about  8  per  cent  of  tragacanth,  mostly  the  nodular 
Syrian  variety,  but  likewise  opaque  flakes  and  vermiform  Morea 
tragacanth,  some  pieces  measuring  four  centimeters.  Sm^h  adultera- 
tion is  said  to  be  of  not  unfrequent  occurrence  in  Southern  Germany. 
Phar.  Zeitung,  1883,  No.  1 
'Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  February  20th. 
10 
