Vol. he: ; 0. 3.] The Composition of Indian Yams. 61 
poison 3 Seed 138 up the roots covering them with ashes and 
placing them in river water for twenty-four hours. Boorsma 
ceraictel an alkaloid, dioscorine, which he found to be the 
active principle. Later Dr. H. W. Schutte of the University of 
Groningen (Onderzoekingen over dioscorine. Diss. 1897) isolated 
dioscorine, studied several of its salts, and, by elementary 
analyses, established its composition. The results obtained 
may thus be summarized :— 
1. Dioscorine is a crystallizable alkaloid of the composi- 
tion C,; H,. NO). ie elting point 43°5°C. 
2. Itisa aoeateeae bas 
3. The formula of the ariais is C,, H,, NO,, HCl, 
2H20. Melting point of anhydrous salt 204°. 
4, Platinum salt C,, H,, NO,, Pt. Cl,, 3H20. Melting 
point of anhydrous ‘salt 199—200°. 
5. The gold salt C,, H,, NO,, HCl, AuCl,. Melting point 
171° 
6. The picket melts at 183—184°. 
7. Physiological experiments have shown that dioscorine 
is a poison producing cramps in the same manner as 
picrotoxin ; dioscorine however is less toxic than 
this substance. 
Dr. K. Gorter (Annales du Jardin Botanique de Buitenzorg, 
1910, ay obtained 0°21 per cent. of this alkaloid in the dry 
tubers, which is equivalent to ‘04 per cent. on the fresh tubers, 
and further investigated its constitution. The alkaloid is sepa- 
rated by extracting the powdered tubers with alcohol (96 per 
cent.) acidulated with hydrochloric acid. The filtrate is eva- 
porated, dissolved in water rendered alkaline by sodium car- 
bonate, and agitated with chloroform. After distillation of the 
chloroform, the dioscorine is determined in the residue’ by 
titration with centinormal acid. 
present in D. bulbifera, D pentaphylla and its varieties and in 
some kinds of D. alata; it was not detected in D. anguina, 
D. belophylia and D. jasiculata. The tubers under cultivation 
appeared to pt much of their acridity and bitterness. While 
wild tubers of D. bulbifera and D. pentaphylla as a rule contain 
alkaloids, the cultivated tubers were in some cases aes of 
this constituent. Some of the tubers contained a tanning 
matter giving a greenish colour with ferric salts. The alcoholic 
extract of the tubers contained varying amounts of glucose 
and cane aaa 
Reference has been made to the practice in various parts of 
the world of treating the wild yams with water to remove the 
