Am.  Jour.  Pharm.l 
March,  1892.  J 
Oleoresins. 
145 
odor  of  carbylamine  indicating  contamination  with  some  nitrogen- 
ous substance  (to  which  may  be  ascribed  the  formation  of  the 
blue  coloring  matter  upon  treatment  with  sulphuric  acid). — M.  C. 
Traub,  Schwz.  Wochensch.f.  Chem.u.  Pharrn.,  1892,  11. 
OLEORESINS. 
By  George  M.  Beringer,  Ph.G.  ' 
Read  before  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  Feb.  16. 
Since  the  introduction  of  oleoresins,  a  number  of  pharmacists  have 
essayed  their  preparation,  seeking  the  use  of  some  solvent  less  expen- 
sive or  less  dangerous  to  handle  than  ether.  Benzin  appears  to 
have  been  the  solvent  suggested  to  most  investigators.  Prof.  Wm. 
Procter  (American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1866,  page  213)  first 
recorded  experiments  with  this  solvent,  and  stated  that  in  extract- 
ing cubebs  he  obtained  16*5  per  cent,  of  extractive  with  benzin, 
against  21-9  per  cent,  using  ether.  As  benzin  dissolved  cubebin 
but  slightly,  he  did  not  consider  it  advisable  to  employ  that  solvent 
in  the  preparation  of  the  oleoresin. 
Prof.  Procter  early  recognized  the  fact  that  the  first  portion  of  the 
percolate  contained  nearly  the  whole  of  the  valuable  constituents  of 
the  drug,  and  recommended  the  propriety  of  stopping  the  percola- 
tion before  complete  extraction  and  sacrificing  the  little  oleoresin 
left  in  the  dregs.  Mr.  H.  N.  Rittenhouse  (American  Journal  of 
Pharmacy,  1867,  27),  from  experiments  confirmed  this  observation 
of  Prof.  Procter,  and  recommended  that  the  percolation  with  ether  be 
stopped  short  of  exhaustion,  and  that  the  last  portions  of  the  expen- 
sive menstruum  should  be  forced  out  with  benzin.  As  a  result  of 
these  experiments,  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  of  1870  directed  that 
the  oleoresins  of  capsicum,  cubebs,  male-fern,  lupulin  and  black 
pepper,  be  prepared  by  percolating  12  troy  ounces  of  the  powdered 
drug  with  ether  until  24  fluidounces  of  percolate  were  obtained,  the 
bulk  of  the  ether  to  be  recovered  by  distillation  and  the  remaining 
portion  to  be  evaporated  on  the  water-bath.  The  oleoresin  of 
ginger  was,  however,  directed  to  be  prepared  by  percolating  12 
troy  ounces  of  ginger,  first  with  12  fluidounces  of  stronger  ether,  and 
then  continuing  the  percolation  with  alcohol  until  12  fluidounces 
have  been  collected.  The  Pharmacopoeia  of  1880  ordered  all  of  the 
officinal  oleoresins  to  be  prepared  by  percolating  with  stronger 
