.SGBOPHULARINEM 3 



Tlie seeds are about ^V ^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^ lengtli, cone-sliaped, 

 finely pitted, very tougli and difficult to powder, nearly 

 inodorous^ and have a somewhat acrid taste. 



Chemical composition. — Morin {Journ. Chim. Mecl ii,y p. 223) 

 obtained from the flowers a yellow volatile oil, a fatty acid, free 

 malic and phosphoric acids, malate and phosphate of lime. 



um, chlorophyll 



matter 



proximate 



found the constituents to be 0'80 per cent, of a crystalline wax, 

 a trace of volatile oil, 078 per cent, of resin soluble in ether, 

 1"00 per cent, of resin insoluble in ether, but soluble in absolute 

 alcohol, a small quantity of tannin, a bitter principle, sugar, 

 mucilage, &c. The moisture in the air-dried sample amounted 

 to 5-90 per cent., and the ash to 12'60 per cent. He concludes 

 that the plant contains many of the usual constituents, and a 

 bitter principle which may be prepared by exhausting the drug 

 with alcohol, dissolving the alcoholic extract in water and 

 agitating with ether or chloroform. Several trials failed to 

 secure this substance in a crystalline condition. It was found 

 to be soluble in water, ether, alcohol, and chloroform, and to 

 possess a decidedly bitter taste. It responded to none of the 

 tests for a glucoside or alkaloid- {Am, Journ. Pharm., 

 Feb. 1890. E. L, Janson (1890) found that petroleum ether and 

 stronger ether used successively, extracted from the flowers 

 about J per cent, in each case. "A decided change in the colour 

 of the drug was noticed after the extraction with ether, which 

 removed the yellow colour, leaving the residue of a dark green. 

 The yellow colouring matter was either a part of, or else it was 

 retained by, the resin dissolved by ether, and it was not found 

 possible to separate it in the pure state'. The drug after 

 exhaustion with ether yielded 10*06 per cent, to absolute alcohol. 

 A considerable portion of this alcoholic extract Was soluble in 

 water acidified with hydrochloric acid. When agitated with 

 petroleum ether the acid solution yielded some colour to it, and 

 this latter solvent on evaporation left a greenish- brown 

 crystalline mass of a strong disagreeable odour and a^ sweet taste, 

 which proved to be an easily decomposable glucoside. Another 



