492  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  {Ano*ctober,Pi9oi!m' 
The  Alkalimetric  Factors  of  Diacid  Alkaloids. 
By  H.  M.  Gordin. 
Inasmuch  as  in  the  alkalimetric  estimation  of  alkaloids  (Ph.  Atch.y 
II,  No.  io)  the  work  is  done  in  an  excess  of  acid,  the  base  in  going 
out  of  solution  ought  always  to  carry  along  an  amount  of  hydriodic 
acid  corresponding  to  the  highest-  state  of  basicity  of  the  alkaloid. 
In  the  case  of  a  monoacid  alkaloid,  using  sulphuric  acid  for  titration 
and  Wagner's  reagent  as  a  precipitant,  the  reaction  ought  to  go 
according  to  the  equation  B2H2S04  +  2KI.In  =  2BHI.In  -f  K2S04. 
In  the  case  of  a  diacid  base,  then,  the  reaction  ought  to  take  place 
as  follows :  BH2S04  +  2KIn  =  B2HI.In  +  K2S04. 
In  the  first  case  one  molecule  of  the  monoacid  base  carries  down 
one  molecule  of  the  monobasic  acid  (hydriodic).  %  In  the  second, 
one  molecule  of  the  diacid  base  carries  down  two  molecules  of  the 
monobasic  acid.  But  as  the  author  has  shown  in  another  paper, 
berberine,  even  in  the  presence  of  excess  of  acid,  is  precipitated  by 
Mayer's  or  Wagner's  reagents,  or  potassium  iodide  along  with  only 
one  molecule  of  hydriodic  acid.  The  reaction  in  the  case  of  ber- 
berine goes  then  as  follows:  BH2S04  +  KIIn  =  B.HI.In  +  KHS04. 
In  this  case  a  diacid  base  changes  its  basicity  and  is  precipitated 
with  only  one  molecule  of  hydriodic  acid.  In  applying  the  alkali- 
metric method  to  the  estimation  of  diacid  bases  it  becomes  neces- 
sary to  establish  the  basicity  of  the  alkalimetric  factors  of  these 
alkaloids  with  regard  to  the  amount  of  acid  they  take  up  when  pre- 
cipitated by  Mayer's  or  Wagner's  reagents. 
An  examination  of  the  four  principal  cinchona  alkaloids  shows 
that,  unlike  berberine,  these  alkaloids,  when  precipitated  in  presence 
of  excess  of  acid,  take  up  two  molecules  of  hydriodic  acid  for  each 
molecule  of  the  base. 
Two  New  Methods  for  the  Quantitative  Estimation  of 
Berberine. 
By  H.  M.  Gordin. 
(i)  A  definite  amount  of  the  crude  drug,  say  20  gm.,  are  ex- 
tracted in  a  Dunstan  &  Short  apparatus  with  hot  alcohol  on  an 
asbestos  plate  until  the  alcohol  comes  out  colorless,  or  nearly  so. 
The  extract  when  cold  is  made  up  to  a  definite  volume,  say  ioo  c.c, 
and  filtered  if  not  perfectly  clear.    To  25  c.c.  of  the  filtrate  one  or 
