Socotrine and Hepatic Aloes, 223 



b.) The alcoholic liquor was of a deep yellowish red. 

 When mixed with its weight of water, it was introduced 

 into a retort, and the alcohol was distilled from it. 



After cooling, the liquor was not turbid : it was then eva- 

 porated to dryness, and the dry mass being redissolved in 

 boiling water, precipitated, after rooling, resin, which when 

 dry weighed an ounce. This experiment in other respects 

 only confirmed the proportion of resin found after the treat- 

 ment with water. 



Experiments on Hepatic Aloes. 



Action of Water. — Sixteen ounces of hepatic aloes were 

 subjected to the same experiments with socotrine aloes. 

 The aqueous solution left, upon cooling, three ounces of 

 resin, the water having dissolved 13 ounces of matter. 



The solution was also acid, and blackened the muriate of 

 iron at the maximum ; it was slightly disturbed by the 

 nitrates of silver and of lead. 



When evaporated to dryness, there remained a mass very 

 soluble in hot and cold water, without affording any resinous 

 sediment. 



Alcohol dissolves it also, but ether has no action on it. 



b.) The three ounces of resinous precipitate being dis- 

 solved in alcohol, there remained a residue weighing two 

 ounces insoluble in this menstruum. We shall speak of 

 this presently. 



c.) The alcoholic liquor, when evaporated to dryitess, left 

 a resinous mass, which had the following properties : 



1. Insolubility in warm or cold water. 



2. Great solubility in alcohol, in ether, and in a solution 

 of caustic potash. 



3. It melted easily at a gentle heat, and was soon car- 

 bonized. 



4. Great inflammability, burning with a brisk flame. 



d.) The two ounces of residue (b), insoluble in alcohol 

 and in ether, were divided into three parts, and treated as 

 follows : 



1 . Distilled in a retort, there passed into the receiver, a 

 fetid oil, with an ammoniacal liquor, and a great quantity 

 of charcoal remained. 



2. The concentrated or the diluted acetic aeid had no 

 action on it. 



3. A boiling solution of caustic potash dissolved the 

 substance entirely. The liquor was not disturbed by an ad- 

 dition of water, but the acids precipitated from it a brown 

 spongy mass, which was somewhat elastic. 



This- 



