CXm.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1880. 
Pharmaceutical  Notes, 
371 
As  magnesia  or  the  carbonate  as  well  as  carbonate  of  lime  are  nearly 
insoluble  in  carbonic  acid  water  in  the  state  they  are  found  in  com- 
merce, it  is  necessary  that  they  should  be  freshly  precipitated,  when 
they  will  be  readily  dissolved  by  it.  This  is  accomplished  by  dissolv- 
ing them  in  sufficient  muriatic  acid,  thereby  forming  the  chlorides  of 
magnesium  and  calcium.  The  314  grs.  of  bicarbonate  of  soda,  having 
been  dissolved  in  12  fluidounces  of  water,  is  added  to  the  solution  of 
the  chlorides,  when  freshly  precipitated  carbonates  are  formed.  To 
this  mixture  is  added  sufficient  carbonic  acid  water  to  make  a  clear 
solution,  which  would  therefore  contain  both  bicarbonate  of  magnesia 
and  of  lime,  and  chloride  of  sodium  formed  by  double  decomposition. 
It  will  be  observed  that  there  are  44  more  grains  of  chloride  of  sodium 
•  called  for  by  the  receipt.  This  completes  the  quantity  of  that  salt 
■contained  in  one  gallon  of  the  water.  The  rest  of  the  ingredients, 
having  been  dissolved  in  carbonic  acid  water,  are  added,  and  the  whole 
made  up  to  one  gallon  with  the  same  menstruum,  will  produce  an 
artificial  congress  water  that  both  in  taste  and  effect  bears  the  closest 
possible  resemblance  to  the  natural  water. 
Many  persons  have  complained  of  the  want  of  efficacy  of  artificially 
made  waters,  and  of  their  not  having  the  same  properties  as  those  which 
are  natural.  This,  I  believe,  is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  formulas  by 
which  such  waters  are  made  often  differ  from  the  analysis  by  omitting 
•such  ingredients  as  exist  in  small  proportions.  I  have  never  found  this 
objection  made  against  the  water  as  prepared  by  this  formula,  which  I 
attribute  to  the  retention  of  all  the  ingredients. 
Aromatic  Sulphuric  Acid — A  Suggestion  Made. — It  has  often  occurred 
to  me  that  an  improvement  might  be  made  or  a  substitute  offered  for 
the  present  formula,  so  that  if  necessary  aromatic  sulphuric  acid  could 
be  made  in  a  few  minutes  by  using  the  tincture  of  ginger  and  oil  of 
cinnamon  instead  of  the  powdered  root  and  bark,  thereby  saving  time 
and  producing  a  perfectly  satisfactory  article  in  a  few  minutes.  It  dif- 
fers somewhat  in  appearance  from  the  officinal,  being  lighter  in  color, 
and  is  made  in  the  following  manner: 
Take  of    Sulphuric  acid,         .  .  .6  troyounces 
Tincture  of  ginger  .  .         4  fluidounces 
Oil  of  true  cinnamon,  .  ,  9  drops 
Alcohol,  ,  ,  .1  pint  and  12  fl.  ozs. 
Add  the  acid  gradually  to  a  pint  of  alcohol;  when  cool  mix  this 
with  the  mixture  of  tincture  of  ginger  and  remainder  of  the  oil  of  cin- 
namon has  previously  been  dissolved. 
