326" Progress of Foreign Science. 



ing- the difterciit processes indicated for the extraction of cin- 

 chonine. In case of a natural or artificial mixture of cinchonine 

 and quinine, crystallization and ether may serve to separate 

 these two bodies. Quinine is very soluble in ether, and does 

 not crystallize *. 



M. J. Voreton, of Grenoble, has given the following as an 

 improved process t. He takes 5 kilogrammes of yellow bark 

 of good quality, reduced to coarse powder. These are infused 

 in water acidulated with about one hundredth of its weight of 

 muriatic acid. After macerating 24 hours, he expresses strongly, 

 and treats the matter with new acidulated water till the bark 

 gives out no more bitterness. He then filters, and treats the 

 united infusions with an excess of pure magnesia. This mix- 

 ture is boiled an instant, and then allowed to cool. The re- 

 mainder of the process is exactly conformable to that already 

 known. Thus we filter, wash the magnesian precipitate with 

 cold water, dry it, and treat it with alcohol. We obtain the 

 quinine by distilling oflp the first portions of the alcohol, and 

 evaporating the rest at a very low temperature. 



By this process, more simple than that formerly published, 

 since we avoid the preparation of the alcoholic extract, he has 

 obtained from 5 kilogrammes of bark about 70 grammes of 

 quinine, instead of 45 or 50, which was all he could obtain by 

 the former process. This arises, he believes, from the muriatic 

 acid dissolving more easily all the quinine, when this is not en- 

 veloped by the fat or resinous matter of the alcoholic extract. 



But the most economical and productive process is that of M. 

 Henry, fils:^. A kilogramme of yellow bark, (cinchona cordi- 

 folia) reduced into a pretty fine powder, was acted on twice with 

 heat, by a dilute sulphuric acid, consisting of 50 or 60 grammes 

 diluted with 8 kilogrammes of water for each time. The filtered 

 decoctions were very bitter, and had a reddish colour, which 

 assumed on coding a yellowish tint. To discolour (blanch) 

 these liquors, and saturate the acid, he employed pulverized 

 quick-lime instead of the more expensive magnesia. The liquors, 

 entirely deprived of colour, were passed through a cloth, and 

 the precipitate which formed, was washed with a small quantity 

 of water, to separate the excess of lime. The deposit (on the 

 cloth,) well drained and almost completely deprived of moisture 

 for twelve hours, after having been put three successive times to 

 digest in alcohol of 36° (0.837), furnished by distilling off the 

 alcoholic liquid, a brown viscid matter, becoming brittle on cool- 

 ing. It was acted on with water sharpened with sulphuric acid, 

 and the refrigerated liquor afforded nearly 32 grammes of white 



* Annales de Chimie et de Phys. xv. p. 289. 



f Ibid. xvii. p. 439. 



+ Joum. de Pharm. July 1821. p. 296. 



