THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY 
MAY,  iqoi. 
CONTRIBUTIONS  FROM  H.  M.  GORDIN. 
( Concluded  from  p.  168. ) 
NUX  VOMICA.  STANDARD  METHOD. 
This  drug  is  very  difficult  to  exhaust  completely.  After  trying 
several  neutral,  as  well  as  acid  menstrua,  the  following  method 
was  found  to  work  well.  Though  in  this  method  acid  is  used,  the 
method  can  nevertheless  be  used  as  a  standard,  it  being  well  known 
that  the  strychnos  alkaloids  are  not  easily  affected  by  dilute  acids. 
Ten  grammes  of  drug  in  No.  60  powder  were  moistened  in  a  screw 
top  jar  with  5  c.c.  of  a  menstruum  containing  75  per  cent,  alcohol 
and  2  per  cent,  phosphoric  acid.  The  jar  was  then  covered  and 
set  aside  for  forty-eight  hours.  The  drug  was  then  put  in  a  small 
percolator,  the  jar  washed  out  several  times  with  the  same  men- 
struum, the  washings  poured  on  top  of  the  drug  and  more  of  the 
same  menstruum  added  till  the  liquid  reached  the  lower  orifice 
(about  23  c.c.  menstruum  was  used).  The  percolator  was  then 
closed  and  set  aside  for  twelve  hours.  The  percolation  was  then 
continued  very  slowly  with  a  menstruum  containing  75  per  cent, 
alcohol  and  about  one-quarter  of  I  per  cent,  phosphoric  acid  till 
about  200  c.c.  were  obtained.  The  first  10  c.c.  were  received  into 
a  100  c.c.  measuring  flask  and  the  rest  concentrated  in  vacuo,  first 
at  about  45 0  C.,and  then  at  ordinary  temperature  till  the  percolate 
was  reduced  to  about  60  c.c.  The  concentrated  extract  was  then 
added  to  the  reserved  portion,  the  vessel  in  which  the  concentra- 
tion took  place  washed  with  water  and  the  whole  made  up  to  100 
c.c.    This  was  shaken  about  one-half  hour  with  talcum  powder, 
(211) 
