50 M. Hlasiwetz on Chinovie Acid. 
C42 H22026, Treated with dilute sulphuric acid, fraxine is re- 
solved into grape-sugar and fraxetine, C®°H!? O18 Adopting 
Wurtz’s formula for fraxine, its decomposition may be thus ex- 
pressed :— 
O22 H2 0% +4+2HO=C!2 H? 02+ C62 H!2016, 
Fraxine. Glucose. Fraxetine. 
Fraxetine has an astringent taste. It is difficultly soluble in 
cold and in hot water: its aqueous solution has a feebly acid 
reaction. Inits properties and formula it appears allied to escu- 
letine, C9° H'!2 016, and quercetie acid, C*4 H!? 0". 
Phloroglucine, as Wurtz points out, has the composition of 
phenylglycerine, the triatomic alcohol corresponding to phenylic 
alcohol, just as glycerine corresponds to propylic alcohol. 
C5 H8 0? Propylic alcohol C!*H®O? Phenylic alcohol. 
C&H8 O04 Propylic glycol -C!? H® O04 Phenylglycol (pyrocatechine) 
C® H® O® Glycerine C!? H® O® Phenylglycerine 
Hlasiwetz * has published the result of some researches by 
himself and Von Gilm on chinovine, a bitter principle, supposed 
to be an alkaloid, extracted from China nova. These investiga- 
tions have shown that it belongs to the class of glucosides. 
Chinovine was dissolved in alcohol, and the solution saturated 
with hydrochloric acid gas. The liquid soon became heated, 
and deposited a crystalline powder which was purified by re- 
crystallization from alcohol, in which it is difficultly soluble. 
Chinovic acid,as Hlasiwetz names this substance, forms when pure 
a brilliant white, crystalline powder; it is distinguished by its 
insolubility, its best solvent being boiling alcohol. Its solutions 
are very bitter. The alkaline chinovates are formed on the 
addition of the alkalies to a solution of the acid, as voluminous 
gelatinous precipitates. The salts of the alkaline earths are 
similar. Chinovic acid has the formula C** H® O08, and is bi- 
basic ; it is a weak but very permanent acid. It is not attacked 
by hydrochloric or by boiling nitric acid. Sulphuric acid dis- 
solves it, and deposits it unchanged on the addition of water. 
When distilled, odoriferous vapours are evolved, which condense 
to a thick, amber-yellow, resinous liquid. In its properties chi- 
novice acid agrees most closely with Hofmann’s insolinic acid, 
C8 HO’, and moreover, from its formula, C* H% 0%, it is 
homologous with it. 
The acid alcoholic solution from which chinovie acid has been 
filtered, contains a saccharoid substance, which has the formula 
C!? H!? 0}, It appears to be identical with mannitane fF a sub- 
* Liebig’s Annalen, August 1859. 
+ Phil. Mag. vol. xii. p. 536, 
