DISTILLATION OF THE TAR WITH SODA Lllffl. 



About 25grii. of the tar left after extracting the original 



material with hot v/ater was dissolved ia ether and poured 



into a glass retort containing soda-lime. The ether was 



^yi«e distilled out leaving the tar intimately mixed with the 



soda-lime. The retort was then gradually heated. Vapors 



and liquid were given off, "both of which turned red litmus 



Dlue and had a strong odor like tobacco smoke. Ho odor of 



1 

 ammonia was detected • At the high temperature of the triple 



burner, a seiri-solid, red, greasy substance collected in and 



closed the condenser tube. This substance had the same 



po7irerful odor as the liquid portion of the distillate. The 



clear, watery portion of the distillate was separated from 



the thicker parts, and was found to contain pyrrol and pyridine 



derivatives by the following characteristic tests: 



(1) Vrf'ood moistened by hydrochloric acid was turned 

 red by it. 



(E) Colorless fumes were formed when brought near hy- 

 drochloric acid; idcEX mixed vd-th hydrochloric acid, 

 a red insoluble substance was formed. 



f3) It precipitated the hydroxideSof iron salts, gave 

 a light blue precipitate v/ith copper sulphate, 

 and a white precipitate with mercuric chloride. 



The greasy, semi-solid mass was extracted with 10^ hy- 

 drochloric acid and filtered. On addition of a solution of 



1. See Amer. Jour, Pharm. 77,256. 



-52- 



