Chemical Science. 177 



tile oils ; with concentrated nitric acid, it yields a very intense 

 green colour, disappearing by dilution, re-appearing by concentra- 

 tion ; alkalies and all oxygenating bodies make it disappear en- 

 tirely. Sulphuric acid also produces a green colour with this 

 substance ; muriatic acid has no action. It has no action on the 

 animal economy. 



Upas anthiar. — Boiled in distilled water, an elastic substance 

 separated upon the surface, which was called elastic resin; an in- 

 soluble substance remained diffused through the liquor, which 

 appeared intermediate between gum and starch; and a bitter solu- 

 tion was obtained, which being evaporated to the consistence of 

 syrup, was treated with weak alcohol, which precipitated the gum, 

 and held the bitter substance in solution. This solution evapo- 

 rated, gave a crystalline granular substance, very bitter, very 

 soluble in alcohol and water, and reddening tincture of litmus. It 

 was of a brownish colour, but became paler by passing through 

 animal charcoal. Suspecting that it was a vegeto-alkaline salt, it 

 was treated with ammonia, but no precipitate obtained. Magne- 

 sia threw down nothing, but when the liquid was filtered ofT, it was 

 no longer acid but alkaline, and with tincture of galls and alkaline 

 gallates gave precipitates entirely soluble in alcohol, a character 

 peculiar to the vegeto-alkalies. The small quantity of the upas 

 prevented any further chemical examination of this substance. 



The upas tieute was in the form of a reddish-brown extract, 

 translucid, excessively bitter, but without any acrid or aromatic 

 flavour, and partly soluble in water, partly insoluble. 



The npas anthiar was a slightly reddish-brown substance, 

 having a waxy consistence and appearance ; its taste was ex- 

 cessively bitter and somewhat acrid, and it caused a degree of 

 numbness of the tongue and interior of the mouth. — Ann. de 

 Chim. XX vi. 44. 



11. On the supposed Alkali of the Daphne, by M. Vauquelin. — In 

 180(S, whilst analyzing the t/ii/nietea alpina mid gnidium, M. Vau- 

 quelin observed an alkaline matter, which he described as follows — 

 *' Taste acrid and continued, very volatile, and acting on vegetable 

 colours like alkalies." At that time, however, as the vegeto-alkaline 

 bodies were unknown, he was too cautious to call this an alkaline 

 substance: and has lately again returned to the subject. 



The substance may be obtained by digesting a pound of dried 

 Mezereon bark in a pint of water, for some hours, at temperatures 

 from MO'' to 160° Fah. Express the liquor, mix it with a little 

 chalk, potash, or magnesia, and distil, as far as can be done 

 without burning the rcsidium ; a colourless liquor is obtained, very 

 acrid, of an irritating odour, and rendering reddened litmus paper 

 blue. If the solution be required of greater strength, the liquor 

 obtained by expression is to be slightly acidified l)y sulphuric acid, 

 reduced by evaporation to a fourth or even an eighth of its original 



Vol. XVIH. N 



