Progress of Foreign Science. 325 



these new vegetable bases was omitted ; we shall now lay it 

 before our readers. 



Two kilogrammes (about 4^ pounds avoird.) of pale cinchona, 

 bruised, were acted on by 6 kilogrammes (about I3}r libs.) of 

 strong alcohol. This operation was repeated four times. The 

 alcoholic tinctures were united, and distilled, to withdraw the 

 alcohol. Care was taken to add 2 kilogrammes of distilled 

 water, in order that the matter dissolved in the alcohol should 

 be protected from the immediate action of the heat, after the 

 separation of the alcohol. This substance, received on a filter, 

 which allowed the aqueous liquid to pass through, was of a 

 reddish colour, and a resinous aspect. In this state it was 

 washed on the filter with water rendered slightly alcaline by 

 potash. The liquor which had passed through the filter served 

 for the first washing, after having been previously alcalized. 

 After several days of edulcoration, the alcaline liquids passing 

 limpid and colourless, the matter left on the filter was washed 

 with a pretty considerable body of distilled water. The sub- 

 stance was then of a greenish-white, very fusible, soluble in 

 alcohol, and crystallizable. It was the cinchonin of Dr. Gomez. 

 It possessed in this state some of the characters of resinous 

 substances ; but, on dissolving it in an acid very much diluted 

 with water, it deposited a considerable quantity of a fat matter of 

 a green colour, which had all the characters of the green fat 

 matter obtained for the first time by M. Lauber, by the direct 

 action of ether on cinchona. We may remark, that if too strong 

 an acid be employed, a great quantity of the fat matter would 

 remain in solution in the liquor, and the cinchonine, which we 

 should subsequently obtain, would be polluted with it. 



The acid liquor (dilute muriatic acid was employed) was of a 

 golden-yellow. Evaporated, it yielded crystals soluble in alco- 

 hol, and in water. Its taste was very bitter. It fell down 

 readily with alcaline solutions ; the gallates and alcaline oxa- 

 lates occasioned precipitates soluble in alcohol. The above 

 solution was treated with pure magnesia at a moderate heat. 

 The mixture, after thorough cooling, was thrown upon a filter, 

 and the magnesian precipitate was washed with water. The 

 first washings were yellow; but they soon became colourless. 

 The magnesian precipitate, sufficiently washed and dried at the 

 balneum maria:, was treated three several times with alcohol of 

 40° (0.817). The alcoholic liquors, very bitter and slightly yel- 

 lowish, gave by evaporation crystals in needles, of a dirty white. 

 These crystals, re-dissolved in alcohol, and made again to 

 crystallize, gave a very white and brilliant crystalline matter. 

 We may also obtain very while crystals by washing them iti the 

 cold with a little sulphuric ether. These crystals are pure cin- 

 chonine. 



Quinine is obtained from yellow Peruvian bark, by employ- 



