INTRODUCING AN OLD BOOK TO NEW FRIENDS C. JELLEFP CARR,SCHOOL O P PRARBIACY, UNIVERSITYOF MARYLAND,BALTIMORE. MARYLAND
A resum6 is given of the early history of the United States Pharmacopaia with fiarticular reference to American chemists who huve played a n important part i n the preparation of this volume. Thematerials contained i n the U. S. P. which would be of particular value to the laboratory man are stressed, pointing out the various tables for the identification and standardization of chemicals. How this volume may be used by the laboratory man in many fields of science, as a general reference book for chemicals and drugs, is described.
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In January, 1817, Dr. Lyman Spalding of New York City submitted to the Medical Society of the County of New York a project for the formation of a United States Pharmacopoeia. At this time (1817) there was no generally recognized and authoritative standard for drugs in use in this country. Various European pharmacopoeias no doubt found popular usage in the more thickly settled eastern states. Possibly the most famous and popular was the London Pharmacopoeia which had been established in 1618. As a result of Dr. Spatding's effort a National Pharmacopoeia was prepared by delegates from the various states of the Union who met in a general convention in Washington on January 1, 1820. Before adjourning, the convention made arrangements for the future revision of its work, which appeared in 1821, and provided for a second convention to meet in 1830 and every ten years thereafter in order to keep the volume in accordance with the most recent scientific developments. In May, 1930, one hundred and ten years after the iirst Pharmacopoeia1 Convention, a large group of scientists composed of many of the country's best chemists, pharmacists, botanists, and physicians met to start the preparation of the United States Pharmacopoeia Eleven. After a proper revision of the U. S. P. X has been made the new U. S. P. X I will appear; this work of revision will require approximately six years.* There are many unusual features about our Pharmacopoeia which make * Copies of the U. S. P. X may be obtained from J. B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia, Pa. 515
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it interesting as a book as well as a valuahle aid to pharmacist, chemist, and physician. American pharmacy handles this treatise in a noteworthy way, for the members of the profession cooperate splendidly to accomplish the enormous amount of work required to revise it every decade. As evidence of appreciation of this careful work the government has completely endorsed the Pharmacopoeia as the law governing the standards for drugs and medicines. The Pure Food and Drugs Act of 1906 adopted the Pharmacopoeia as the standard for drugs in the United States. Possibly there is no other group of non-congressional men who prepare a set of standards for drugs which automatically become national in scope upon its publication. The standards so prescribed must he adhered to by the manufacturing pharmacist to avoid prosecution by the state and federal authorities. I n this way the very obviously necessary uniformity of drugs is maintained. Occasionally one sees in a chemical journal a short article written by a chemist who has "discovered" a very useful and valuable hook, wherein he finds numerous tables of helpful information for this particular type of work. These discoveries, upon close scrutiny, one finds are often volumes of pharmacopeias of ancient vintage. After seeing several of such articles the author decided that a brief descriptive composition, outlining the features of the Pharmacopoeia which are of particular interest to the chemist, would be in order. From acacia, which is the first official drug, to zingiber (ginger), which is last, the descriptions of various chemicals and drugs are of a particularly valuable nature for they would he difficult to obtain without consultin: a number of reference books. I n order to illustrate, there follow^ a replica of the description as given for acetone: ACETONUM ACETONE ACE~ON-D~ME~~-KET~N~ Acetone contains not less than 99% of CHaCOCHa. Description and physical properties-A transparent, colorless, mohile liquid, having a characteristic odor. It is inflammable. Acetone is miscible without cloudiness with water, alcohol, ether, chloroform, and most volatile oils. Tests for identity--Specific gravity: about 0.790 a t 25°C. It boils between 56O and 58°C.. but volatilizes even a t low temperatures. Add 1 cc. of sodium hydroxide T.S. to 1 cc. of an aqueous dilution of acetone (1in 200). warm the mixture, and add a few cc. of iodine T.S.: a vellow ~ t e iadoform is formed a t once. Mix .r e c.i ~ i t aof 1 cc. of the same acetone dilution with 5 drops of sodium nitroprusside T.S. and 2 cc. of sodium hydroxide T.S., and add a slight excess of aceticacid: a deep red liquid is produced which develops a violet tint when diluted with several volumes of water. Tesls for pufitpAcetone diluted with an equal volume of distilled water does not affect the color of blue or red litmus paper previously moistened with water. Evaporate 50 cc. of acetone in a dish on a water-bath, and dry to constant weight *t 100°C.: the weight of the residue does not exceed 0.002 g. Mix 20 CC. of
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acetone with 0.1 cc. of tenth-normal potassium permanganate in a clean, glassstoppered bottle: the pink tint produced does not wholly disappear in less than fifteen minutes (empyreumatic substances). Assay-Determine the exact weight of a glass-stoppered weighing bottle containing 15 cc. distilled water, add about 1 cc. of acetone, and again weigh accurately. Transfer the contents of bottle t o a 10OO-x. graduated flask, rinse the weighing bottle with several portions of distilled water, and add the rinsings to the flask. Fill to the mark with distilled water, and mix thoroughly. Place 25 cc. of normal sodium hydroxide in a 250-m. glass-stoppered flask, add exactly 25 cc. of the acetone solution and 35 cc. of tenth-normal iodine, with constant agitation of the flask. and allow the mixture t o stand for fifteen minutes. Add 26 cc. of normal hydrochloric acid, and a t once titrate the residual iodine with tenth-normal sodium thiosulfate, adding starch T.S.as indicator when the liquid is nearly decolorized. Conduct a blank test with the same quantities of the reagents, and subtract the quantity of tenth-normal iodine consumed in the blank test from that consumed in the assay. Each cc. of the difference, which represents the iodine consumed by the reaction with the acetone, corresponds to O.WO9677 g. of C H K O C H 8 . Preserve in well-closed containers, in a c w l place, remote from h e .
It may be observed that the old Latin name is still retained for the official designation, a principle which is adhered to throughout the book. In the first pharmacopceia the monographs were given in Latin as well as English.
This procedure was followed to avoid mistakes and permit general usage; however, the modem tendency is to disregard this old method. Of particular interest to the analytical chemist are the descriptions of the general tests, processes, and apparatus to be found in the back of the Phar-
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macopceia. Accurate and reliable descriptions for the carrying out of such tests as acid number, alcohol determination, arsenic tests, assays for acids and bases, boiling and distilling points, congealing points and electrolytic determination of copper, mercury, silver, zinc, heavy metals test, and a complete listing of qualitative identification tests for chemicals. The monograph on melting points is especially comprehensive and valuable as well as the monographs on optical rotation and refractive index. Some three hundred of the most common reagents used in organic and inorganic chemistry are described and methods for their preparation are given. The monograph on volumetric solutions covers all the common solutions used in titration work with their methods of preparation and standardization. Following this is given a list of all the official chemicals and reagents of definite composition with their atomic and molecular weights. This list is particularly valuable as a time saver. Such chemicals as calcium iodobehenate are listed with its formula (G1HuIC02)2Ca; and molecular weight of 970.80. Likewise many of the hydrated salts with complex formulas and high molecular weights are given. Other tables and charts too numerous to mention may be found here in a concise form ready for practical usage. The man who is engaged in practical laboratory work, whether it be analytical or research, will find between the covers of this book a mass of information of unusual value. American chemistry and medicine may well be proud of the United States Pharmacopceia for it is universally recognized as one of the outstanding books of its kind in the world. Translations are prepared in the Spanish for South American countries where it is generally accepted as an authoritative standard. Also the cooperation between the Revision Committee of the Pharmacopceial Convention and the International Conference for the Unification of Formulas for Patent Remedies, as well as cooperation in drawing up the International Protocol has been most outstanding. Tn the field of biological chemistry the pharmacopoeia also finds a definite place. Biological assays of those drugs or chemicals for which no chemical assay is known occupies a prominent place in this volume. This comparatively new field of bio-assays is receiving a great deal of attention from the revision committee and many noteworthy advances are being made. At the present time the therapeutic usefulness of the drugs is not discussed in the Pharmacopceia but present indications are that in the near future these may be added to enhance its value. From a chemical standpoint such an addition would be of little value, of course, but the research worker in biology, pharmacology, pathology, bacteriology, and pharmaceutical and medicinal chemistry as well as the practicing physician and pharmacist would benefit greatly.
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By way of introduction one might mention also some of the men who, while outstanding in the field of chemistry, gave a great deal of time and effort in behalf of the U. S. P. That grand old gentleman, Dr. Harvey Wylie, who did so much to bring scientific order out of selfish political chaos devoted much of his seemingly untiring energy toward making the Pharmacopceia an accurate and reliable standard. J. J. Abel, Frederick B. Power, Joseph P. Remington, H. C. Wood, and a score of others more prominent in medicine and pharmacy than chemistry, but who have contributed much to o w scientific store of information, have seen fit to devote a great deal of their time and experience to revising the U. S. P. every decade. To conclude, Dr. E. Fullerton Cook, chairman of the revision committee for the U. S. P. XI, has ably expressed the present status of our Pharmacopoeia when he said: One hundred and ten years of experience, of earnest and honest planning for the welfare of this nation provide the hackground for the U. S. P. Happily the century has not produced an antiquarian or a degenerate but rather an aggressive, progressive, and modem guide to medicine and pharmacy, fully in keeping with the spirit of scientific progress of today.
The chemist who is keen enough to grasp the potentialities of a treatise such as the Pharmacopaeia in an age when science is moving a t such a breakneck speed, will iind modern, accurate information that will broaden his field of endeavor, enlarge his possibilities, and help to bridge for him that ever-narrowing gap between medicine and chemistry.
