VIII, B, 6 DuMez: Oleoresin of Aspidium 529 



from 116 to 165 milligrams of KOH for saponification,-*'' He 

 proposes a solubility test instead.'"' 



For the purpose of coloring the extract, two entirely different 

 classes of substances have been made use of; namely, copper 

 salts and chlorophyll. Neither class can be detected by the assay 

 methods. The addition of copper can best be detected by the 

 examination of the ash, applying the usual tests for copper. The 

 use of copper salts seems to be very frequent, although their 

 presence was not detected in the samples examined in this labor- 

 atory. Weppen and Luders " found 2 samples of a deep green 

 color containing 0.056 and 0.044 per cent, respectively. Beck- 

 urts ^^ reports 2 samples containing 0.135 and 0.044 per cent, 

 and Pendorff ^^ states that 7 of 20 samples examined contained 

 more or less copper. 



Chlorophyll is not very generally used for the artificial color- 

 ation of the extract, although 1 sample examined in this labor- 

 atory was highly colored with it and its use is reported in at 

 least one other instance."" 



DETERIORATION OF THE EXTRACT 



As has been stated before in this paper, the extract owes its 

 activity to various acid substances. Poulsson "^ considered the 

 amorphous filix acid as being the most important of these. He 

 further states that this acid may exist in 2 forms — the amor- 

 phous or active form and the crystalline or inactive form. Upon 

 standing, the extract becomes weaker in its action as a tseniafuge 

 owing to the conversion of the amorphous to the crystalline acid 

 and its subsequent precipitation. Kraft,*^ in a later investiga- 

 tion of the subject, concludes that the principal constituent of 

 the extract, from a therapeutic standpoint, is an amorphous 

 acid, "filmaron;" this exists only in the amorphous form, and 

 is not identical with the filix acid of Poulsson. However, he 



'" The saponification values obtained by Kremel have been found to be 

 much too low for extracts prepared in this laboratory. An extract having 

 a filicin content of 19.18 per cent gave a saponification value of 236.7. 



'° Kremel states that from 40 to 45 per cent of the pure ethereal extract 

 is soluble in 95 per cent alcohol; less than 40 per cent means the addition 

 of a fatty oil, more than 45 per cent going into solution means the addi- 

 tion of castor oil. Pharm. Post. (1887), 20, 349. 



'' Pharm. Zeitg. (1893), 38, 922. 



'Apoth. Zeitg. (1893), 8, 594. 



'Ihid. (1903), 18, 150-152. 



'"Pharm. Zeitg. (1893), 38, 922. 



'^ Arch. f. exp. Path. u. Pharm. (1892), 29, 23-24. 



''Pharm. Zeitg. (1903), 48, 275-276. 



