AMMONIACUM 483 



characteristic but not alliaceous odour, and a bitter, acrid taste. 

 Triturated with water it forms a white emulsion, which is coloured 

 deep orange red by a solution of chlorinated soda, yellow by solution 

 of potash, and, transiently, faintly violet by ferric chloride. The latter 

 reaction, although not strong, should be noted, as it depends upon the 

 presence of a constituent (salicylic acid) that is absent from other 

 similar gum-resins, and is characteristic therefore of ammoniacum ; a 

 more distinct coloration is obtained by shaking the emulsion with 

 asbestos, filtering clear and adding to the filtrate a drop of solution 

 of ferric chloride. 



Lump ammoniacum consists of agglutinated, whitish, yellowish 

 grey or bluish grey tears, mixed with varying quantities of extraneous 

 substances, such as stones, dirt, stems and other debris of the plant 

 and occasionally the broad, flat mericarps of the fruit, the presence 

 of which indicates the time at which the drug has been collected. 

 The substance of the tears agrees with the description of the tears 

 already given. 



Good qualities of lump ammoniacum consist of tears varying in 

 size from a pea to a hazel-nut or even larger, with a little intervening 

 dark-coloured ground substance, and but few pieces of stem, fruits, 

 &c. Intermediate forms composed of more or less agglutinated tears 

 also occur. 



If about 1 gramme of the drug is boiled for a few minutes with 

 20 c.c. of equal volumes of hydrochloric acid and water, and the 

 solution filtered into water made strongly alkaline with ammonia, no 

 blue fluorescence should be developed. This reaction indicates the 

 absence of umbelliferone (which, in alkaline solution, exhibits a strong 

 blue fluorescence) and distinguishes Persian ammoniacum from 

 galbanum, asafetida, and African ammoniacum, all of which yield 

 umbelliferone. Free umbelliferone may also be tested for by adding 

 an alcoholic tincture of ammoniacum to an alcoholic solution of 

 ammonia. 



The student should observe 



(a) The clean, hard tears, which do not crumble between the 



fingers, 

 (6) The characteristic odour, 



(c) The positive result of the test for salicylic acid, 



(d) The negative result of the test for umbelliferone ; 



and should compare the drug with selected tears of galbanum, which 

 are much softer, have a distinctive odour, and yield a positive result 

 with test for umbelliferone. 



Constituents. Ammoniacum consists of volatile oil 0-1 to 1-0 per 

 cent., resin (about 65 to 70 per cent.), gum (about 20 per cent.), 

 moisture (2 to 12 per cent.), ash (1 per cent.), and insoluble residue 

 (3-5 per cent.). 



