282 PLANT AND ORGANIC CHEMISTRY 



A compound resembling the one from chichipate was also 

 discovered later in Phlox Carolina, 1 and the account of it was 

 read before a meeting of the American Pharmaceutical Asso- 

 ciation at Providence, R. L, September, 1886. The combus- 

 tions of this camphor-like substance gave the following: 



I. II. 



C. 82.49 82.57 



H. ii. ii 11.23 



From subsequent study, we were led to believe that the above 

 results were based upon a mixture of compounds. Because of 

 the small amounts of crude material then at our disposal we 

 were not able to overcome the difficulties inherent in purifying 

 and separating these substances. However, from the prelimi- 

 nary investigations we were induced to think that these com- 

 pounds presented features of unusual interest and novelty. 



Recently we began anew our studies upon twenty-five and 

 twenty kilos of Cascara amarga 2 and Phlox Carolina respec- 

 tively. 



The drugs were very thoroughly exhausted with a light pe- 

 troleum-ether, boiling-point under 45 C. The total solids ex- 

 tracted from Cascara amarga were 2.015 P er cent. ; of this about 

 o.i per cent, were fats. The yield from Phlox Carolina was i.oo 

 per cent., including traces of coloring- matter. On heating to 

 110 C., there was no appreciable loss of weight in Cascara. 

 The Phlox contained small quantities of volatile oil. 



The extracts, on evaporating spontaneously, deposited upon 

 the sides of a dish or beaker glittering, white, feather-like crys- 

 tals, often several centimeters in length. At the bottom of the 

 glass were stellate groups of brilliant acicular crystals. Fats, 

 wax, and in Phlox a red coloring-matter accompanied the 

 crystalline principle, and rendered the subsequent purification 

 tedious and difficult. 



The method finally adopted to purify, upon freeing the 

 petroleum-ether residue from fats and coloring-matter, was to 



1 " On the Underground Portion of Phlox Carolina." By Henry Trimble. 

 Amer. Jour. Pharm., vol. Iviii, p. 479. 



2 By Helen C. De S. Abbott, New York, August, 1887. 



