A454 ASCLEPIADE. 
precipitated on the addition of the mineral acids: It dissolved: 
in concentrated sulphuric and nitric acids with intense red: 
colour, but in both mixtures it was destroyed and precipitated 
by water. It fused at about 60° C. into a blackish brittle mass.’ 
Heated in a test tube it gave off fumes of creasote, buat no 
crystals were obtained in a subliming apparatus. Gently’ 
ignited it burnt with a bright flame, leaving no ash. It was 
thrown down as a bulky grey mass by acetate of lead, the lead’ 
salt decomposed by sulphuretted hydrogen in spirit left the 
substance in the reddish evaporated filtrate from the lead’ 
sulphide. The body just described has the characteristics of 
an organic acid related in some particulars to glycyrrhizic’ 
acid, but having some distinctly peculiar reactions and possess- 
ing the antisaccharine property ascribed to the leaves, I pro- 
pose to call it Gymnemic Acid. Gymnemic acid forms more 
than six per cent. of the constituents of Gymnema leaves in 
combination with a base which is inorganic. It isa monatomic 
acid, having the formula, C** H** 0", and requiring theoreti- 
cally 14°63 per cent. of metallic silver and 15-20 per cent. of 
PbO for its silver and lead salts. It forms ‘ingoluble salts 
with alkaloids, and this accounts for its masking the taste of 
quinine. The acid isa glucoside. After boiling for about an 
hour with dilute hydrochloric acid, a dark resinous mass, 
devoid of the peculiar property of the leaves, remains, and the: 
liquor contains a body which readily reduces Fehling’s solution 
and crystallizes when evaporated, Another organic acid was 
present in the lead acetate precipitate, which was identified 
as tartaric acid. The filtrate from the insoluble lead come 
pounds was treated with sulphuretted hydrogen gas, and 
the clear liquor after evaporation was examined for sugar. 
Glucose was detected in some quantity by its immediate and 
abundant reduction of Fehling’ s solution; ; the sugar examined in 
a polariscope had a left-handed rotation. Chloroform agitated 
with an. alkaline solution of the leaf left a crystalline residue 
of a brownish colour; it hada bitter taste, and acted as a 
sialagogue. With the ordinary alkaloidal reagents. it afforded — 
coloured precipitates, but was a neutral principle. fe 
