. AC ANTE ACE JE. 53 



alcoliol. It readily forms salts witli sulphuric, hydrocliloric, 

 nitric, and acetic acids ; these salts are crystalline, and their 

 solutions may be evaporated without apparent decomposition. It 

 is precipitated by potassio-mercuric iodide, iodine in potassium 

 iodide, tannin, and Nessler's reagents. A solution of the sul- 

 phate, observed in a Laurent's polariscope, possessed a slight 

 right-handed rotation. Heated on platinum foil it fused to a 

 yellowish and then to a fine red mass, which afterwards black- 

 ened and decomposed. Distilled with strong potash it yielded 

 an oily body resembling chinoline, together with ammonia and 



other volatile bases. 



alkaloid 



after the Sanskrit name of the plant. In a proximate analysis 

 of the leaves, petroleum ether was first used to remove the 

 volatile oil, or stearopten, which formed one of the odorous 

 principles. Ether was then employed to extract chlorophyll^ 

 wax, resins, and a small quantity of alkaloid. The alcoholic 

 extract was the most interesting, as it contained most of the 

 alkaloid in neutral combination with an organic acid. This 

 extract was of a reddish colour when concentrated, and some soft 

 resin was separated by treatment with wafer; the aqueous solu- 

 tion evaporated spontaneously fell into a mass of crystals exhi- 

 biting right-angled ramifications. On adding neutral acetate 

 of lead to some of the solution, nearly all the colouring matter 

 was removed as an orange precipitate, and an almost pure solu- 

 tion of the acetate of the alkaloid was left in the filtrate. 



The organic acid, presumably the colouring agent of th 



e 



salt 



drogen, liad an acid reaction, was soluble in water and spirit 

 and gave a dark olive-green colour with ferric chloride. The 

 colouring matter was intensified by the addition of the fixed and 

 volatile alkalies, and was not immediately precipitated by the 

 mineral acids. Its lead salt after gentle ignition left 28-3 per 

 cent, of oxide. I would suggest for this organic body the name 

 of "AdhatocUc Acid," after the South Indian name of the plant. 

 The occurrence of this organic acid and the alkaloid in the 



of 



ih 



