BARK OF FOUQUIERIA SPLENDENS 119 



on warming the bark, exudes and possesses a resinous or gum- 

 like consistency. 



In the present investigation, the scheme proposed by Dra- 

 gendorff * has been followed out, with the exception of the 

 maceration at the ordinary temperature; an apparatus simi- 

 lar to the one last devised by Tollens 2 has been used for the 

 extraction. The air-dried material reduced to a very fine 

 powder was again dried at 100 C., giving 9.4 % moisture, since 

 the great importance of powdering the material for the various 

 estimations as insisted upon by Dragendorff, 3 was fully con- 

 firmed in these examinations. Quantitative determinations 

 with ocotilla bark reduced to fine pieces gave 2 % and 3.5 % 

 less than the percentage obtained from the estimations with 

 the powdered substance. Determination of total ash gave 

 10.26 %; a qualitative ash analysis showed the presence of 

 calcium, magnesium, aluminum, potassium, sodium, and a 

 trace of iron; sulphates, phosphates, and chlorides. 



Ten grams of the air-dried powder treated with petroleum 

 spirit of boiling point 46 C. extracted a substance without 

 aromatic odor, communicating to the liquid a light color. 

 From 100 c. c. a measured portion was evaporated for de- 

 termination of total amount of substances brought into solu- 

 tion. The residue dried at 100 C. gave 9 % ; at 110 C. 8.87 % ; 

 at 120 C. 8.875 % an d a loss of .125 % showing scarcely ap- 

 preciable trace of volatile oil. The remainder of the petroleum 

 spirit extract, on evaporation at the ordinary temperature, 

 left a solid yellowish-green wax substance of specific gravity 

 .984, melting from 84 C. to 85 C., insoluble in water, slowly 

 soluble in boiling 95 % alcohol, readily in absolute alcohol, in 

 cold ether, chloroform, amyl alcohol, benzole, carbon disul- 

 phide, oil of turpentine, and linseed oil; slightly dissolved 

 in aqueous alkalies, but not saponifying with them. It is col- 

 ored yellow by nitric acid; acted upon by concentrated sul- 

 phuric acid, and not by hydrochloric acid or aqua regia. 



1 Plant Analysis, Qualitative and Quantitative, G. Dragendorff, Ph. D. 

 Translated from the German by H. G. Greenish. London, 1884. 



2 Zeitschrift /. anal. Chemie, xiv, 82, 1875, and xvii, 320, 1878. 



3 Loc. cit. 



