562 Intelligence and Miscellaneous Articles. 



and mixed with water: to the turbid solution thus obtained, a little 

 alcohol is to be added ; this facilitates the formation of a whitish pre- 

 cipitate, which is impure polygalic acid. The liquor is to remain at 

 rest for several days in order that the precipitate may form perfectly ; 

 the supernatant liquor, which contains extractive matters and a little 

 polygalic acid, is to be poured off. The polygalic acid is to be allow- 

 ed "to drain on the filter, and while moist is to be dissolved with the 

 aid of heat in alcohol of specific gravity 0837. The solution is to be 

 Doiled with animal charcoal purified by hydrochloric acid, and by cool- 

 ing a fine white pulverulent precipitate is obtained, which is pure po- 

 lygalic acid. 



The properties of this acid are, that its smell resembles that of 

 saponin, but is much weaker ; its taste is acrid, and it is hot in the 

 throat j in very small quantities it excites violent sneezing; it is so- 

 luble in water, the solution reddens litmus, and it froths much when 

 shaken ; when boiled with potash, the solution yields a gelatinous 

 precipitate on the addition of hydrochloric acid ; sulphuric acid pour- 

 ed into the solution when boiling also gives a gelatinous precipitate, 

 and a rose colour appears on the sides of the capsule j nitric acid 

 used in the same way does not yield a gelatinous precipitate, but on 

 cooling it gives a yellow one ; but neither acetic, citric, nor oxalic acid 

 produces any precipitate. Tincture of galls gives a dirty white pre- 

 cipitate. Polygalic acid when saturated with an alkali gives no pre- 

 cipitates with metallic salts, except the acetates of lead and the pro- 

 tonitrate of mercury. 



The mean of these experiments gave as the composition of this 



acid Hydrogen 7*529 



Carbon 55-704 



Oxygen 36767 100. 



Journal de Phar made, June. 1837. 



MODIFIED POLYGALIC ACID. 



M. Quevenne'gives this name provisionally to the substance obtain- 

 ed by the action of certain acids upon polygalic acid. 



In order to prepare it four parts of this acid were mixed with about 

 30 times its weight of concentrated hydrochloric acid. After 24 hours' 

 digestion, the gelatinous mass was diluted with water, and the whole 

 was thrown upon a filter, and washed with distilled water till it ceased 

 to act upon nitrate of silver. The precipitate thus washed and dried 

 was a grey friable mass ; it was boiled in alcohol of sp. gr. OS 1 7, 

 which gradually dissolved it, leaving a small quantity of gray powder 

 unacted upon. The filtered solution heated by a water-bath precipitated 

 some white flocks on cooling. If a sufficient quantity of water be 

 added, a gelatinous mass is precipitated, and the same effect is pro- 

 duced by the spontaneous evaporation of the spirit. 



By evaporation to dryness the modified acid is obtained in yellowish 

 white, brittle, irregular fragments ; it has at first but little taste, but 

 soon becomes decidedly bitter ; when mixed with water it did not 

 swell in 24 hours. It is slightly soluble in water. The solution does 

 not redden litmus. 



