88 REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE. 



yellow precipitate, soluble ia ammonia to a greenish-blue solution ; boil- 

 ing gradually dissipated the color until it was nearly destroyed, the 

 meniscus having a lemon-yellow color, and the liquid a very pale amber. 

 Addition of excess of nitric acid to this liquid caused an abundant, floc- 

 culent precipitate rather more yellow than before. 



4. Iodine in potassic iodide causes a brick-red precipitate, darkened 

 in color by excess of iodine. 



6.. Picric acid (in alcoholic solution) causes no precipitation. 



6. Infusion of galls, containing alcohol, causes a grayish-red precipi- 

 tate, pretty freely soluble in acetic acid and dilute sulphuric and hydro- 

 chloric acids. 



7. Gold chloride, with free hydrochloric acid, causes a flocculent 

 lemon-yellow precipitate; .1336 grams of this precipitate, previously 

 well washed with water and dried at 85° 0., left upon ignition .0460 ot 

 metallic gold, equivalent to 34.43 per cent. A previously-formed pre- 

 cipitate, of the purity of which there is more doubt, contained 31.83 per 

 cent, of gold. 



8. Platinic chloride causes the slow separation of a yellowish precipi- 

 tate which has not been further examined ; in hydrochloric solutions no 

 precipitate is formed. 



9. The alkaline solution was shaken with solvents insoluble in water; 

 ether, benzole, and chloroform removed small amounts of the alkaloid 

 only, while amylic alcohol removed it freely. 



By comparing these reactions with those recorded for the alkaloid in 

 the herb of this plant, it will be seen that they are identical. 



The remainder of this alkaline liquid was neutralized with sulphuric 

 acid, evaporated and dissolved in absolute alcohol. This liquid was 

 percolated through i)m*ified animal charcoal, which removed all the al- 

 kaloidal sulphate. After washing the charcoal with cold absolute alco- 

 hol, it was treated with hot absolute alcohol, whereby the alkaloid was 

 removed as a neutral sulphate. This, when evaporated, left a red-brown, 

 neutral, very hygroscopic residue of exceedingly bitter taste. This resi- 

 due gave positive tests both for sulphuric acid and nitrogen. Hence it 

 is asserted that the plant and seeds of SopTwra serecia contain a bitter 

 alkaloid. In addition to the precipitations caused by the general alka- 

 loid reagents, the following special reactions were obtained by treating 

 the solid sulphate : 



1. Concentrated sulphuric acid, cold and warmed, gave a yellowish- 

 brown color, becoming chocolate-brown on standing. 



2. Concentrated sulphuric acid with i)otassic bichromate, a prompt 

 green coloration, due to reduction of the chromic acid to chromic salt ; 

 on long standing the color became olive- green. 



3. Concentrated nitric acid caused a lemon-yellow color, which became 

 a little darker upon adding excess of ammonia ; the same colors with 

 sulphuric acid and potassic nitrate, and with nitric acid, followed by 

 hydrochloric acid. 



4. Sulphuric acid, containing ammonic molybdate ("Froede's reagent")? 

 cold, yellowish ; wanned, becomes successively greenish, green-blue, and 

 finally deep indigo-blue. 



5. Ferric chloride (aqueous) gives an orange coloration with the solid 

 alkaloid sulphate. 



6. Potassic feirricyanide, wanned in aqueous solution with the alkaloid 

 sulphate, becomes greenish, and contains ferrocyanide. 



7. Potassic permanc;anate in aqueous solution is reduced with precipi- 

 tation of brown mang-anese oxides. 



8. Evai)orated and warmed with zinc chloride a brown to amber color 



