450  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  {Am'i%™w&*m' 
KOH.  The  author  believes  that  if  a  standard  of  at  least  70  per  cent.  KOH 
were  authoritatively  established,  low  grade  potash  would  then  be  prevented 
from  entering  the  general  market,  and  the  product  would  be  improved. 
The  juice  of  taraxacum. — Prof.  Sayre  collected  the  root  May  10  ;  drying  it  at 
45°  it  lost  79  42  per  cent,  of  moisture,  and  this  on  drying  at  ioo°,  lost  further 
io*68  per  cent.  The  fresh  root  yielded  by  pressure  57  per  cent,  of  juice,  of 
spec.  grav.  1-007,  and  containing  total  solids  1*472,  sugar  0-036,  and  ash  0-0045 
per  cent. 
Oil  of  Wintergreen  is  proposed  by  B.  H.  Ewing,  to  be  assayed  vol umetrically 
by  saponifying  5  gm.  of  the  oil  with  40  cc.  volumetric  solution  of  soda  at  6o° 
C. ;  after  the  precipitate  formed  at  first  has  totally  disappeared,  cool  the  flask, 
then  boil  for  five  minutes,  again  cool,  add  phenolphthaleine,  and  titrate  with 
normal  hydrochloric  acid  until  the  red  color  disappears  ;  subtract  the  volume 
of  acid  required  in  cubic  centimetres  from  40,  multiply  the  remainder  by  "138 
(toVo  molecular  weight  of  salicylic  acid)  and  the  resulting  product  by  20  to  get 
the  percentage  of  salicylic  acid.  Methyl  salicylate  is  obtained  by  using  in  the 
calculation  the  figure  "152  in  the  place  of  "138.  The  results  agree  closely  with 
those  obtained  by  determining  the  salicylic  acid  gravimetrically.  Genuine  oil 
of  gaultheria  assayed  9015  salicylic  acid  and  99  30  methyl  salicylate.  Genuine 
oil  of  sweet  birch  yielded  90*20  acid  and  99*40  of  the  methyl  compound.  In  an 
adulterated  specimen  only  68  per  cent,  of  methyl  salicylate  was  indicated  by 
this  method. 
Solutio?i  of  bimeconate  of  morphine. — A  commercial  sample  examined  by 
Alice  L.  Braunwarth  yielded  0*908  per  cent,  solid  residue  containing  o*8o 
morphine,  0*085  meconic  acid  and  0*091  HC1.  The  solvent  was  diluted  alcohol 
of  24  per  cent,  by  weight. 
The  botanical  names  of  the  U.  S.  Pharmacopoeia  have  been  examined  by 
Professor  H.  H.  Rusby,  in  accordance  with  the  rules  adopted  by  the  Inter- 
national Botanical  Congress,  held  at  Paris  in  1867,  according  to  which  no  name 
has  a  right  to  supersede  the  first  name  properly  given  to  a  plant  since  the 
binomial  nomenclature  was  adopted  by  Linnaeus.  In  an  elaborate  paper 
presented  by  the  author,  the  names  and  synonyms  are  given  and  the  authori- 
ties cited  with  the  dates  of  first  publication.  If  the  rule  is  to  be  strictly  fol- 
lowed, a  number  of  botanical  names  will  have  to  be  changed. 
The  chemistry  of  the  elements  entering  into  Syrup  of  phosp/mtes  of  iron, 
quinine  and  strychnine,  U.  S.  P.,  by  Professor  Fennel,  is  an  inquiry  into  the 
causes  of  the  changes  produced  in  this  pharmacopceial  product,  and  he  arrives 
at  the  conclusion  that  with  the  exercise  of  the  greatest  skill  and  judgment  the 
precipitation  of  basic  ferric  phosphate  cannot  be  prevented  and  that  the  forma- 
tion of  this  basic  salt  is  the  result  of  natural  influences  ;  further,  that  the 
precipitation  may  be  accelerated  by  the  careless  preparation  of  any  one  of  the 
compounds  which  enter  into  the  final  product,  and  that  a  lack  of  skill  and 
judgment  and  the  necessary  precautions  essential  to  the  production  of  trust- 
worthy compounds,  apparently  indicate  a  defective  formula ;  yet  such  is  not 
the  case,  for  the  formula  is  as  perfect  as  man  can  make  it. 
Calcium  hypophosphite  was  examined  by  Prof.  Sayre  by  Moerk's  method 
(see  Amer.  Journ.  Phar.,  1889,  pp.  326  and  391),  with  potassium  permanganate, 
the  five  samples  assaying  96*92,  98-23,  99*16,  99*32  and  99*71  per  cent.,  the 
balance  being  sulphate  and  carbonate. 
