4 Dr. Kane on the Colouring Matters 



Chrysorhamnine is of a rich golden yellow colour, of a cry- 

 stalline aspect, and may be obtained in brilliant stellated tufts 

 of short silky needles. It is but very sparingly soluble in cold 

 water, and when boiled with water the portion which dissolves 

 does not separate on cooling, but is found to be changed into 

 xanthorhamnine. It dissolves in alcohol, but is not obtained by 

 its evaporation, without being much altered. In aether, how- 

 ever, it dissolves abundantly, and by the spontaneous evapo- 

 ration of its solution is deposited in a pure form. It has no 

 acid reaction, but dissolves in alkaline solutions, in which, 

 however, it appears also to be mostly altered. 

 Dried at 212° Fahrenheit it consisted of 



i. ii. 



Carbon 58*23 57*81 



Hydrogen 4*77 4*64 



Oxygen 37*00 37*55 



100*00 100*00 



These numbers give the formula C 23 H n O n , by which there 

 should be 



C^ = 138 58*23 



H n = 11 4*64 



O n = 88 37*13 



237 100*00 



On adding an alcoholic solution of chrysorhamnine to a so- 

 lution of acetate of lead, a rich yellow precipitate is formed, 

 which, when dried at 212°, was found to be expressed by the 

 formula C 23 H n O n + 2PbO, the numbers being as follow: — 



Theory. Experiment. 



Carbon 138*0 29*98 . . . 29*62 



Hydrogen ... 11*0 2*39 ... 2*19 



Oxygen «... 88*0 19*11 . . . 19*59 

 Oxide of lead . . 223*4 48*52 . . . 48*60 



460*4 100*00 100*00 



A little water appears to have been lost in the analysis, 

 which, however, does not affect the formula deduced. 



By the decomposition of a more basic acetate of lead, a 

 yellow precipitate is obtained, which consisted of one equiva- 

 lent of chrysorhamnine united to three equivalents of oxide 

 of lead. 



The chrysorhamnine may be easily observed in its natural 

 state of deposition in the berry ; it lines the interior of the 

 capsule-cells with a brilliant resinous-looking pale yellow 

 and semitransparent coating. 



Xanthorhamnine is formed by boiling chrysorhamnine in 



