Dec 1, 1885.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST,- 



395 



being obtained by exhausting the bark with dilute 

 sulphuric acid, filtering the extract, adding excess 

 of lime, evaporating to ilryness, and exhausting the 

 residue with alcohol. They also described the result 

 of some physiological experiments made with this 

 substance. The authors of the present paper operat- 

 ing in a similar maimer obtiiined a substance 

 which gave the same physiological residts when 

 administered to frogs, and "guinea pigs, but did not 

 correspoiid to the chemical auil physical characters 

 attributed to '• doundakiiu-." It is true that it was 

 precipitated by the double iodides and the phospho- 

 molybdate and pliosphotungstate of sodium ; but it 

 was devoid of alkaline reaction, did uot combine 

 with acids, and could not be obtained in the .specified 

 crystalline form. The authors, therefore, operated 

 upon the bark with a scries of solvents after the 

 manner laid down in DrageiidorlT's 'Plant Analysis.' 

 The bark reduced to a lino powder was first 

 exhausted in a continuous displacement apparatus 

 diuring si.x hours with light petroleum spirit. Upon 

 evaporation the spirit left equal to 12 per cent of 

 residue, consisting of two fatty bodies which were 

 not completely investigated. 



The bark was then treateil with boiling chloroform, the 

 percolate being yellow liquid with a very in tense 

 green fluorescence. This lii|uid left on evaporation 

 a residue which gave up to very dilute hy<lroch!orio 

 acid a small quantity of yellow matter. This 

 hydrochloric solution gave with double iodides and 

 phosphotungstate of sodium reactions which seemed 

 to point to the presence of an alkaloid. Hut when 

 it was evaporated to dryness, the residue treated 

 with water, and the solution slightly aciilulated and 

 carefully filtered, the reaction was no longer obtained. 

 The authors, therefore, consider (he xjrecipitates 

 obtained in the first place were not charscteristics 

 of an organic base. The portion of the chlovoformic 

 extract insoluble in acidulated water dissolved to 

 a considerable extent in cold alcohol, and the re- 

 mainder was soluble in boiling alcohol. The cold al- 

 coholic solution left upon evaporation a very bitter 

 residue which proved to contain nitrogen, and yielded to 

 water some substance which gave with double iodides 

 precipitates analogous to those of organic bases. But 

 the addition of a small quantity of acid to the 

 solution caused a fresh precipitation quite as volum- 

 inous, and the residue after evaporation dissolved 

 in pota.sh in the cold ami behaved generally like 

 the petroleum spirit c',.xtraet. The authors the'refore 

 concluile that chloroform removes several bodies from 

 the bark, one containing nitrogen, of a rusinoid nature 

 and soluble in alcohol, the others being a mixture 

 of wax and fatty bodies. 



The bark was next extracteil with alcohol as long 

 as any colour was imparted to the menstruum. The 

 tincture was of an intense yellow colour, with a 

 very pronounced green fluorescence. Examined spectro- 

 scojiically it gave results corrcspiuuliiig with the 

 presence of chlorophyll. Upon evaporation equal to 

 6'95 per c-^nt of residue was obtained, which was 

 only partially soluble in cold water. The aqueous 

 solution gave reactions showing the pre-sence of a 

 small quantity of tannin, and it re.Iuce.l Barrcswil's 

 liquor. It was also precipitate<l by the double iodides, 

 picric acid, pliosphomolybdate and phosphotungstate 

 of sodium. This precipitati n appeared to show the 

 presence of an alkaloid ; but when ths solution was 

 conccrtratcd and treated with dilute hydrochloric 

 acid, it gave a similar precipitate, from which the 

 authors conclude.l that the principle dissolved was 

 of a resmoid nature and not an organic base. 



The pitchy-lookiug residue, insoluble in cold water, 

 was first treated with hot water and then with 

 boiling alcohol, and in this way three separate bodies 

 were obtaimrd, two of them containing nitrogen and 

 the other not. The first (uj was of a yellow-red 

 colour, very intter, soluble in hot water and in alcohol, 

 and gav(- upon analysis results represented by the 

 formula (.^jS 11|9 ^'l>|3. The .second (i) was yellow, 

 insoluble iu boihog watei;, but soluble in alcohol, and 

 U represented by the formula O19H16NO9 The 



third ((•) was kermes brown, insipid, insoluble in 

 boiling alcohol or water, but solubhi in caustic potash 

 Evidently this last was a proiluct of alteration, 

 probably a colouring matter. Both a and b can be 

 used to dye silk or linen and give with indigo blue 

 fiine .sbides of green. 



FurtLci- treatment of the bark with acidulated 

 watei removed i'.'Mlii per cent of allniininoid, amyl- 

 aceous and 5.1.11 i matters, leaving UI'liDS per cent 

 of ligneous residue, yiddiug GD7 per cent of ash ou 

 iuciner.ation. 



Doundake bark from Bio Xuiuz (Boke) when 

 treated in the same manner gavt; similar results. 

 A larger yield of the yellow matter .sohilile in wale r 

 and that soluble in alcohol was obtained, which is 

 what might be expected, as (he Boko bark is much 

 more intt;ustly yellow than that from Sierra Leone. 

 The Boko bark, on the other liand, contained only 

 a trace of tannin, whilst the alcoholic extract g-ave 

 no indications of the presence of chlorophyll. The 

 authors are of oi>iuion that the active principles of 

 the Boke doundake bark consist of two colouring 

 matters, havii>g a j)ronoun(;<;d ta^tl■, ami ident<-l 

 in respect to chemical and physiological properties 

 with those obtained from .Sierra Beone bark, but; 

 dilCering manifestly in the brightness of their tint. 

 l''urther examinations of the two barks by other 

 processes gave identical results. The authors there 

 fore consider themselves justilied in saying — (1) that 

 "doundakiue'' as a cvystallizable alkaloid does uot 

 exist, but is is suggested that the name might bo 

 appropriated for the colouring matter to which tho 

 bark owes its physiological action; (2) that tlic: bit- 

 terness of iloundake bark is due to two colouring 

 principles of a resinoid nature, both containing nitro- 

 gen, one soluble in water and the ()ther in alcohol ; 

 (."i) that the barks yield another principle, tasteless, 

 insoluble in water, but soluble iu caustic potash, as 

 well as glucose and traces of tannin. 



Upon a consideration of the foregoing facts, and 

 of the different solubilities of the two resinoid bodies 

 that appear to be the active principles, Mes-rs. 

 Heckel ami Schlagt.leuhauS"en recommend the use of 

 a dilute spirit in making a preparation of doundako 

 bark for therapeutic purposes. Iu their experience 

 the best results have been obtained in using 60' 

 alcohol, which gave a dry extract equal to 21 ]»('r 

 cent of the bark. The use of a hyilio-alculinlic 

 menstruum is also in conformity with the practice 

 of the nativt\s, who macerate the bark in wine. In 

 this form it has been reported to be a good sub- 

 stitute for cinchona bark, especially' as it is bctti r 

 tolerated by the stomach for a long time. The 

 authors are, however, disposed to accord to doundake 

 bark a secondary place, similar to that occupied in 

 relation to cinchona bark in South America by the barks 

 of /.anthoxi/lum carihacuiu and Z. I'cnoiletti. There 

 appe.-irs to be no doubt that doundake bark possesses 

 .astringent and tonic febrifuge propeities, but the 

 authors consider there is ro atisolutc justification for 

 its designation as " quinquiua' africain or " quinquina de 

 Kio ^anez."— I'kanmceiitical Journal. 



To Restouk and Peesehvk Fi.owehs.— Kadod (lowers 

 may be generally more or less restored by immersing 

 them half way up their stems in very hot water, 

 and allowing them to remain in it until it cools, er 

 they have recovered. The scalded portion of the 

 steins must then be cut off, and the Howers placed 

 in clear cold water. In this way a great number 

 of fadcil flowers may be restored ; but there are 

 some of the more fugacious kimls on which it proves 

 useless. Flowers may also be jireserved, and their 

 tints deepened, by adding to the water a little .sol- 

 ution of carbonate of ammonium and a few drops 

 of phosphate of sodium. The effect of this in giving 

 the flowers a deeper colour and a stronger appear- 

 ance is quite wonderful; and, by cutting off every 

 other day about halt an inch of the stems of the 

 flowers with a sharp knife, they may be kept as 

 long as their natural life would last.— i)irfi«W Ourdener, 



