oGO EUPHORBIACEiE. 



looking substance, among which portions of the angular spiny stem of 

 the plant may be met with. Man}^ of the pieces encrust a tuft of spines 

 or a flower-stalk or are hollow. The substance is brittle and trans- 

 lucent; splinters examined under the microscope exhibit no particular 

 structure, even by the aid of polarized light; nor are starch granules 

 visible.^ The odour is slightly aromatic, especially if heat is applied ; 

 but 10 lb. of the drug which we subjected to distillation afforded no 

 essential oil, Euphorbium has a persistent and extremely acrid taste ; 

 its dust excites violent sneezing, and if inhaled, as when the drug is 

 powdered, occasions alarming symptoms. 



Chemical Composition — Analysis of euphorbium performed by 

 one of us" showed the composition of the drug to be as follows: — 



Amorphous resin, C'»ff "02 38 



Euphorbon, C^'H'^^0 22 



Mucilage ... ... ... ... ... ... 18 



Malates, chiefly of calcium and sodium ... 12 



Mineral compounds ... ... ... ... 10 



100 



The amorphous resin is readily soluble in cold spirit of wine con- 

 taining about 70 per cent, of alcohol. The solution has no acid re- 

 action, but an extremely burning acrid taste : in fact it is to the 

 amorphous indifferent resin that euphorbium owes its intense acridity. 

 By evaporating the resin with alcoholic potash and neutralizing the 

 residue with a dilute aqueous acid, a brown amorphous substance, the 

 Euphorhic Acid of Buchheim,^ is precipitated. It is devoid of the 

 acridity of the resin from which it originated, but has a bitterish 

 taste. 



From the drug deprived of the amorphous resin as above stated, ether 

 (ether or petroleum) takes up the Eapltorhon, which may be obtained 

 in colourless, although not very distinct crystals, which are at first not 

 free from acrid taste. But by repeated crystallizations and finally 

 boiling in a weak solution of permanganate of potassium, they may be 

 so far purified as to be entirely tasteless. Euphorbon is insoluble 

 in water ; it requires about 60 parts of alcohol, sp. gr. 0830, for 

 solution at the ordinary temperature. In boiling alcohol euphorbon 

 dissolves abundantly, also in ether, benzol, amylic alcohol, chloroform, 

 acetone, or glacial acetic acid. 



Euphorbon melts at 116° C (113° to 114°, Hesse)without emitting any 

 odour. By dry distillation a brownish oily liquid is obtained, which 

 claims further examination. If euphorbon dissolved in alcohol is 

 allowed to foi-m a thin film in a porcelain capsule, and is then 

 moistened with a little concentrated sulphuric acid, a fine violet hue is 

 produced in contact with strong nitric acid slowly added by means of 

 a glass rod. The same reaction is displayed by Lactiicerin (see Lactu- 

 carium), to which in its general characters euphorbon is closely allied. 



^ By careful investigation a very few are selected fragrants, free from extraneous 



found at last. substances. 



- Fliickiger in Wittstein's Viertdjahres- ^ Wiggers and Husemann, Jahresbericht, 



nchril't fur prakt. Pharmacie, xvii. (18()8) 1873. 559. 

 82-102. — Tlie driig analysed consisted of 



