HERBA SCOPARII. 



171 



consist of a simple cylindrical thin-walled cell, the surface of which is 

 beset with numerous extremely small protuberances. 



The large, bright yellow, odorous flowers, which become brown in 

 drying, are mostly solitary in the axils of the leaves ; they have a 

 persistent campanulate calyx divided into two lips minutely toothed, 

 and a long subulate style, curv^ed round on itself. The legume is oblong 

 compressed, 1-^- to 2 inches long by about ^ an inch wide, fringed with 



hairs along:" the edo-e. 



It contains 10 to 12 olive-coloured albuminous 



seeds, the funicle of which is expanded into a large fleshy strophiole. 

 They have a bitterish taste, and are devoid of starch. 



The portion of the plant used in pharmacy is the younger herbaceous 

 branches, which are required both fresh and dried. In the former state 

 they emit when bruised a peculiar odour which is lost in drying. They 

 have a nauseous bitter taste. 



Chemical 



omp 



)sition — Stenhouse^ discovered in broom tops 

 two interesting principles, Scoparin, C"^H"'0^^ an indifferent or some- 

 )^'hat acid body, and the alkaloid SpartGine, C'EJ'W, the first soluble 

 in water or spirit and crystallizing in yellowish tufts, the second a 

 colourless oily lic[uid heavier than water and sparingly soluble in it, 

 boiling at 288^ C. 



To obtain scoparin, a watery decoction of the plant is concentrated 

 80 as to form a jelly after standing for a day or two. This is then 

 washed with a small quantity of cold water, dissolved in hot water and 

 again allowed to repose. By repeating this treatment with the 

 addition of a little hydrochloric acid, the chlorophyll may at length be 

 separated and the scoparin obtained as a gelatinous mass, which dries as 

 an amorphous, brittle, pale yellow, neutral substance, devoid of taste 

 and smeU. Its solution in hot alcohol deposits it partly in crystals and 

 partly as jelly, which after drying are alike in composition, Hlasiwetz 

 |ibowed (1866) that scoparin when melted with potash is resolved, like 



Phloroalucin. C'ffOl and Frotocatechuic Acid, 



ki 



2 UR'OK 



The acid mother-liquors from , whicli scoparin has been obtained 

 ^'ten concentrated and distilled with soda, yield besides ammonia a 

 very bitter oily liquid, Sparteine. To obtain it pure, it requires to be 

 repeatedly rectified, dried by chloride of calcium, and distilled in a 



It is colourless, but becomes brown by 



current 



exposure to light; it has at first an odour of aniline, but this is altered 

 ^y rectification. Sparteine has a decidedly alkaline reaction and readily 

 n^eutraHzes acids, forming crystallizable salts which are extremely bitter. 

 ^<)nine, nicotine, and sparteine are the only volatile alkaloids devoid 

 "" ^jygen hitherto known to exist in the vegetable kingdom. 



' ' extracted sparteine simply by acidulated water which he 

 concentrated and then distilled with " ' "^ ' " 



Mill 



The distillate was then 



--v,vuuaiea and then distilled with socia. xne aisumiiy ua,^ tucn 

 saturated with hydrochloric acid, evaporated to dryness, and submitted 

 1 ^istiUation with potash The oily sparteine thus obtained was dried 



W 1 ^ witn potash. The oily sparteine inus uuu^iuc^ v>c.o^..^.^. 

 rTR i"S^^ heating with sodium in a current of hydrogen, and finally 



rectified per se. 

 the hydro 



Mills „ 



From 1 5 lb. 



gen of sparteine by one or two of C'H' (ethyl). 



^'"■?- Trans. 1851. 422-431. 



2 Journ. of Chem. Soc. xv. (1862) 1.; 

 Gmelin's Chtm. xvi. (1864) 282. 



