56 



acid an uncrystallisable salt (whereas chloride of coniin crystallises 

 and is jiermanent at the air) ; is convei-ted into coniin when heated 

 with anhydrous phosphoric acid. 



[Coiliferill=C48 H32 O21 + 6 HO. Glucosid, detected by Th. 

 Hartig in the cambium liquid of coniferous trees, viz.: — Pinus 

 Abies, P. picea, P. Strobus, P. Cembra, and P. Larix. It is 

 obtained from the juice by boiling, filtering, and inspissating to 

 one-fifth of its volume, when the C after cooling separates in crys- 

 tals, which have to be pressed and recrystallised from water or 

 alcohol under addition of animal charcoal. — It forms white, seri- 

 ceous, delicate needles or warty masses consisting of concentrically 

 grouped spearlets. They lose their water of crystallisation at 100°, 

 fuse at 185°, and congeal after cooling to a glassy mass. In higher 

 temperatures, the C. turns brown and becomes carbonised under 

 emission of caramel odour and a peculiar aromatic smell. It 

 dissolves little in cold, copiously in hot water, sparingly in strong 

 alcohol, not in ether. The taste of the aqueous solution is slightly 

 bitter. It turns the polarised light to the left. Sulphuric acid 

 colours C. dark violet. The solution in hydrochloric acid, on 

 heating and evaporating, throws down an intensely-blue body. 

 Treated with Chromate of potash and sulphuric acid, C. is con- 

 verted into vanillic acid, which might serve as a substitute for 

 vanilla.] 



Coniin =Ci6 Hi5 N. In all parts of Conium maculatum, 

 most copiously in the seeds. Distil the latter with water and an 

 admixture of lime, saturate the distillate with sulphuric acid, 

 evaporate almost to dryness, agitate the granular remnant with a 

 mixture of two pai'ts absolute alcohol and one part ether, 

 evaporate the solution, distil the remaining mass with potash ley 

 and desiccate with chloride of calcium. — Limpid, oily fluid of 

 penetrating nauseous hemlock-odour, and of acrid, nauseous, 

 tobacco-like taste, of 0*89 density, boils at 170°, has a strongly 

 alkaline reaction, dissolves in 100 parts water; the solution 

 becomes cloudy when warmed, and clears again on cooling ; 

 dissolves readily in alcohol, ether and oils, and neutralises the 

 acids completely. The aqueous solution is precipitable by tannic 

 acid. 



Convallaniarin=C46 H44 O24. Precipitate the aqueous 

 decoction of the root of Convallaria majalis or the decoction of 

 the whole herb, as obtained for the preparation of convallarin, 

 with subacetate of lead, remove the lead from the filtered liquid 

 by means of carbonate of soda, precipitate with tannic acid, wash 

 and dry the deposit, exhaust with alcohol, remove the tannic acid 

 by digesting the tincture with slaked lime, distil ofi" the alcohol 

 from the filtrate, free the remaining liquid from the rest of the 

 lime by adducing cai-bonic acid gas and evaporate to dryness. 



