352 
Assay  of  Nux  Vomica. 
Am  Jour.  Pharru. 
July,  1892. 
our  Table  IX)  will  be  improvements  in  many  products  that  result 
from  the  present  process  of  manufacture 
(io)  Natural  Alkaloid  of  Specimen  A  — The  maker  of  this  speci- 
men (A  of  the  list)  gave  the  "total  alkaloid"  valuation  as  2-36  per 
cent,  by  gravimetric  assay,  which,  being  the  only  commercial  sam- 
ple thus  standardized,  was  selected  for  comparative  assay. 
Three  assays  were  made  of  5  cc.  each  for  chloroformic  residues, 
according,  to  the  first  part  of  the  process,  the  evaporations  being 
made  spontaneously,  the  several  residues  being  exposed  for  four 
hours  in  a  drying  room  at  1400  F. 
Table  X. 
No.  1  gave  4'66  per  cent,  chloroformic  extract. 
"  2    "    4-30       "  "  " 
"  3    "    4*16  " 
In  making  these  determinations,  the  first  was  abstracted  with 
three  portions  of  chloroform  of  10  cc.  each.  The  second  with  three 
portions,  one  of  10  cc.  followed  by  two  of  5  cc.  each.  The  third 
was  abstracted  with  one  portion  of  15  cc. 
It  will  be  seen  that  the  first  gave  the  best  result  and  supports  the 
rule  previously  evolved,  viz  :  that  to  obtain  the  entire  chloroformic 
extract  (fats  and  alkaloid)  the  abstraction  should  be  made  with  at 
least  three  parts  of  chloroform  of  10  cc.  each.  (If  a  mortar  is  used, 
increase  the  chloroform.) 
From  these  residues  the  alkaloid  was  purified  in  the  usual  manner 
(see  process,  p.  339),  and  after  the  evaporation  of  the  chloroform  of 
the  rotations,  by  exposure  to  the  drying-room,  was  subsequently 
exposed  to  14O0  F.  for  four  hours. 
Table  XI. 
First     experiment  gave  2*60  per  cent,  alkaloid. 
Second        "  "      2-48       "  "  . 
Third  "  "  2-50 
Fourth  (third  repeated)  experiment  gave  2*52  per  cent,  alkaloid. 
These  results  were  accepted  as  demonstrating  (supporting 
previous  investigations)  that,  in  order  to  abstract  all  the  alkaloid, 
three  chloroformic  washings  of  the  magma  with  10  cc.  each  were 
required,  and,  that  this  was  sufficient,  was  evident,  for  the  remain- 
ing magma  gave  no  evidence  of  alkaloidal  reaction,  and  was  not 
perceptibly  bitter  to  the  taste  (see  p.  344),  and  it  is  not  probable 
that  a  richer  commercial  fluid  extract  than  this  specimen  will  often 
