8 BULLETIlSr 405^ tf. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGEICULTtJRE. 



Extractions were made of the seeds and pods, and impure alkaloids 

 were obtained. The experience in this work leads to the suggestion 

 of the following method of extraction: 



Moisten the powdered drug with alcohol containing 1 per cent of HCl; pack in 

 percolator; macerate with alcohol; percolate with alcohol until the percolate gives 

 only small turbidity with Mayer's reagent. Mix the percolate with sand and evaporate 

 the alcohol. Treat the residue repeatedly with warm water, until it gives off only a 

 slight reaction with Mayer's reagent. To the united filtrate add Mayer's reagent to 

 complete precipitation. Wash the precipitate, suspend it in a little water, and decom- 

 pose with HgS; filter. 



Evaporate the filtrate to a small volume, add an excess of Ca(0H)2, filter, exhaust 

 the precipitate and filtrate separately with ether, as quickly as possible, neglecting 

 the last traces. Evaporate the ether. Treat the residue with absolute alcohol acidu- 

 lated with H2SO4. Let stand 24 hours. The precipitate will contain the lupinidin, 

 the fUtrate the other lupine alkaloids. These will require further purification. 



CHARACTERS OF THE ALKALGHJS. 



PTiysicdl characters. — The physical effects of the aklaloids make it 

 likely that they are similar to those occurring in the European 

 species. Several of these characters were observed in the course of 

 the isolation of the alkaloids. 



The (impure) alkaloids were obtained as brown oily liquids of a 

 strongly alkaline reaction and a strongly bitter taste. They were 

 easily soluble in water and in alkalies. They were slightly soluble 

 in petroleum ether. No crystals were obtained. During their sepa- 

 ration a strong odor resembling conin, characteristic of lupinidin, 

 was perceptible, especially when strong soda was added. The 

 isolated alkaloids were almost odorless, but again developed the odor 

 very strongly when 10 per cent soda was added. 



Chemical characters. — -Strongly heated, they boiled and evolved 

 dense, white fumes. Strong sulphuric acid, cold or heated, alone or 

 with formaldehyde or bichromate, gave only browning. Strong 

 nitric acid also gave no characteristic reactions. 



Precipitation reactions. — The alcoholic solution gave partial pre- 

 cipitation with sulphuric acid. The dilute neutral aqueous solutions 

 of the chlorid or sulphate behaved as follows: 



NaOH (1 per cent): Slight precipitate. 



NaOH (strong): Precipitate, partly soluble n excess of the soda. 



(NH4)0H: No precipitate. 



Na2C03: No precipitate. 



Mercuric chlorid: Amorphous precipitate, easily soluble in excess of HCl. The 

 precipitate was incomplete, giving further precipitate with Mayer's reagent, and also 

 the lupinidin test with alcoholic sulphuric acid. 



Picric acid: Fair amorphous precipitate. 



Tannin: Precipitate, soluble in excess. 



lodin in KI : Good amorphous precipitate. 



Pot. ferrocyanid; No precipitate. 



Pot. bichromate: No precipitate. 



