Die Methoden der exakten, quantitativen Bestimmung der Alkaloide

Abstract

THIS little work deals with the methods by which alkaloids may be accurately determined quantitatively, but not with the methods by which the total alkaloids may be extracted from crude drugs or their preparations, although an appendix of fifteen pages contains the details of the alkaloidal drug-assays of the German Pharmacopoeia. One-third of the book is devoted to the determination of quinine; morphine and the opium alkaloids, and strychnine and brucine, occupy the next places of importance, whilst the remaining alkaloids are very briefly discussed. It is essentially a compilation, and, like all compilations, has a distinct value. In this case the value is somewhat adversely affected by the scanty treatment that some of the alkaloids have received. Thus the separation of emetine from cephaëline is simply mentioned, although Paul and Cownley showed long atro how it could be effected, and Farr and Wright have published a method for the accurate determination of colchicine, to which no reference is made; indeed, the results obtained by English workers in this field have been sadly neglected. The utility of the work would be much enhanced by a more thorough examination of the literature.

Die Methoden der exakten, quantitativen Bestimmung der Alkaloide.

By Prof. Anton Ritter von Korczynski. Pp. iv + 82. (Berlin: Gebrüder Borntraeger, 1913.) Price 3.50 marks.