223 



golden yellow substance, to which Dr. Kane has given the 

 name of chrysorhamnine. The dark coloured berries contain 

 little of the substance soluble in ether, but give out to boil- 

 ing water an olive yellow material, to which, in its pure form, 

 Dr. Kane gives the name of xant/iorhamnine. This sub- 

 stance is produced, however, only by the decomposition of 

 the former; thus, if the unripe berries be boiled for a few 

 minutes in water, they, when dried, yield to ether scarcely 

 traces of chrysorhamnine, this principle being, by contact 

 of air and hot water, changed into xanthorhamnine. 



Omitting the details of methods of purification, and of 

 analysis, the properties and composition of these bodies may 

 be expressed as follows : 



Chrysorhamnine is of a rich golden yellow colour, of a 

 crystalline aspect, and may be obtained in brilliant stellated 

 tufts of short silky needles. It is but very sparingly soluble 

 in cold water, and when boiled with water the portion which 

 dissolves does not separate on cooling, but is found to be 

 changed into xanthorhamnine. It dissolves in alcohol, but 

 is not obtained by its evaporation, without being much al- 

 tered. In ether, however, it dissolves abundantly, and by 

 the spontaneous evaporation of its solution is deposited in a 

 pure form. It has no acid reaction, but dissolves in alkaline 

 solutions, in which, however, it appears also to be mostly 

 altered. 



Dried at 212° Fahr. it consisted of 



100.00 100.00 



These numbers give the formula C23 H„ O,,, by which there 

 should be 



VOL. n. T 



