^""'ott'isj^^"^'}    ^ynerican  Pharmaceutical  Association,  443 
a  little  bromine,  or  bromine  and  iodine,  which  combine  with  some  phos- 
phorus, forming  pentabromide  of  phosphorus,  which  is  decomposed  by 
water  into  phosphoric  and  hydrobromic  acids,  the  latter  yielding,  on  the 
addition  of  nitric  acid,  free  bromine,  which  again  combines  with 
phosphorus.  At  the  end  of  the  first  part  of  the  process  some  free  bro- 
mine and  iodine  remain  in  the  liquid,  which  are  readily  expelled  in  evap- 
orating the  nitric  acid. 
On  motion,  a  Committee  of  three,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Gordon, 
of  Cincinnati,  Bullock,  of  Philadelphia,  and  Dalrymple,  of  Morris- 
town,  N.  J.,  was  appointed  to  report  upon  the  time  of  next  annual 
meeting. 
Prof.  Markoe  read  a  paper  on  the  preparation  of  hydrobromic  acid 
from  phosphorus  and  bromine,  the  hydrobromic  acid  formed  in  the 
presence  of  water  being  separated  from  the  resulting  phosphoric  acid 
by  distillation. 
Mr.  T.  R.  Baker,  of  Richmond,  read  an  essay  on  the  "  Antiseptic 
properties  of  chloralhydrate,"  detailing  many  experiments.  It  was 
found  a  much  better  preservative  for  anatomical  preparations  than  the 
solutions  formerly  used. 
The  Association  adjourned  until  3  o'clock  P.M. 
Fifth  Session —  Thursday  afternoon^  September  C)th. 
This  session  was  mainly  devoted  to  the  reading  of  committee  re- 
ports and  papers.  The  Auditing  Committee,  the  Committee  on  the 
Ebert  Prize  (j-^-^  "Amer.  Journ.  Pharm.,"  1875,  p.  188),  and  the  Com- 
mittee on  Specimens  reported,  the  latter  paying  a  well-deserved  tribute 
to  the  Local  Secretary  S.  A.  D.  Sheppard,  for  his  valuable  aid. 
A  paper  by  Mr.  Mattison  treated  of  moulds  for  suppositories,  and 
mentioned  more  particularly  those  made  by  A.  M.  Knowlson,  of  Troy, 
N.  Y.,  G.  W.  Sloan,  of  Indianapolis,  and  Benton,  Myers  &  Canfield, 
of  Cleveland. 
A  paper  by  C.  Rutter,  of  New  York,  which  asserted  that  the  so- 
called  tasteless  iron  salts  {see  "Amer.  Jour.  Pharm.,"  1873,  P-  ^H) 
were  merely  mixtures,  but  not  definite  chemical  compounds,  gave  rise 
to  some  discussion,  in  which  this  view  of  their  constitution  was  op- 
posed. 
Mr.  Mclntyre's  paper  on  "Aromatic  spirit  of  ammonia,"  attributes 
the  cause  of  the  precipitate  occurring  in  this  spirit,  to  the  use  of  stronger 
instead  of  alcohol  spec.  grav.  0*835,  provided  that  the  other  ingredients 
are  as  ordered  by  the  "Pharmacopoeia." 
