110 



PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN ACADEMY 



IX. 



CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE CHEMICAL LABORATORY OF 

 HARVARD COLLEGE. 



ON CERTAIN SUBSTANCES OBTAINED FROM TUR- 

 MERIC. — I. CURCUMIN. 



By C. Lorixg Jackson and A. E. Menke. 



Presented December 14, 1881. 



The chemical study of curcumin, the yellow coloring matter of tur- 

 meric, dates from a paper * by A. Vogel, Sr., and Pelletier, published 

 in 1815, although even before this turmeric-paper had been used as 

 a test for alkalies, and its action with boric acid and various salts 

 observed.f No analysis is given in this paper, and the low melting- 

 point (40°) and description of the method of preparation show that 

 the "yellow coloring-matter of turmeric" obtained by A'^ogel and 

 Pelletier was principally composed of resin and turmeric oil ; they 

 proved, however, that it contained no nitrogen, and studied its action 

 with alkalies, acids, and certain salts, especially acetate of lead. 



In 1842 A. Vogel, Jr.,t analysed a similar but perhaps somewhat 

 purer preparation, which, however, must have consisted in great part of 

 the yellow resin contained in the root, as it also melted at 40° ; it is 

 not wonderful, therefore, that his analyses led to no formula. 



Passing over a number of unimportant notices,§ we come next to a 



* Journal de Pharmacie, i. p. 280. 



t TrommsdorfF, Tromnisdorff's Journal von Pharm., xvi. p. 96. Sementini, 

 Bibliothuque Britanniquo, Jan. 1815. 



t Journ. de Pharm. et de Chim., sdr. 3, ii. p. 20. 



§ Desfosses, Ann. Chim. Phys., xvi. p. 7G; A. Vogel, Jr., Report. Pharm., 

 se'r. 3, iii. p. 178 ; H. Rose, Pogg. Ann., cii. p. 545 ; Lepage, Archiv der 

 Pharm., Ser. 2, xcvii. p. 240; Leube, Vicrteljalirssclir. pr Pharm., ix. 395; 

 Alex. Miiller, J. pr. Chem. Ixxx. p. 119 ; Wittstein, Vierteljalirssclir. pr. Pharm., 

 ix. p. 282; Schutzenherger, Paraf. Mul. Soc. Bull., 1861, p. 503; Ludwig, Archiv 

 der Pharm., cvi. p. 109; Kraut, Zeitschr. anal. Chem., iv. p. 168. 



