1887.] P. Briihl— On the Resin of Cannabis indica. 229 



from the alkaline solutions left any residue that might have been mis- 

 taken for an alkaloid. I can therefore confirm the results of Mr. 

 Masig's experiments, according to which ganja does not contain any 

 alkaloid. 



Chemical behaviour. Action of acids. — It has been already observed 

 that the resin is slightly soluble in dilute acids. As some resinous sub- 

 stances belong to the group of glucosides, the resin of Cannabis indica 

 was treated for some time with boiling dilute sulphuric acid, and the 

 resulting liquid tested for glucose in the usual way. No glucose was 

 found to have been formed ; from which it appears that the resin of 

 Cannabis indica is no glucoside. 



Concentrated sulphuric acid easily dissolves the resin at the common 

 temperature to form a brown solution ; a drop of this solution poured 

 into a few cubic centimeters of water causes a pale-yellow turbidity. 



When treated with a mixture of equal volumes of nitric (spec. gr. 

 = 1*41) and sulphuric acids (spec. gr. = 181), the resin swells up and 

 a somewhat violent reaction sets in ; the mixture becomes hot ; a dark 

 brown solution is formed ; and when the quantity of the acid mixture 

 used is not too great, a brownish-black friable mass floats on the sur- 

 face. This mass is scarcely soluble in pure water, but easily dissolves 

 in alcohol and in a hot solution of sodic carbonate, in the latter case 

 forming a dark-brown solution, which when evaporated leaves an 

 amorphous residue, and when treated with dilute hydrochloric acid gives 

 an amorphous brown precipitate, whilst dilute acetic acid produces ap- 

 parently no change. The substance therefore behaves very much like 

 some humic acids ; it contains, however, nitrogen, inasmuch as it evolves 

 vapours having an effensive smell and a strongly alkaline reaction, 

 when subjected to dry distillation. 



Nitric acid of specific gravity 1*41 acts only slowly on the resin at 

 the common temperature, but more rapidly at the boiling-point ; whilst 

 nitric acid of specific gravity 1*50 acts violently on the resin even at the 

 common temperature, forming a reddish-brown solution, in which the 

 addition of water causes the formation of a flocculent amorphous preci- 

 pitate. The product of the action of the nitric acid on the resin has, 

 however, been already studied by Bolas and Francis*), who prepared a 

 nitro- derivative of the resin, to which they gave the name Oxycannabin ; 

 according to them it is a colourless crystalline substance and has a com- 



, , A , ' . , C. H. NO. 



position expressed by the tormula 20 20 27 



Action of nascent hydrogen. — Two portions of the resin were expos- 

 ed to the action of nascent hydrogen, evolved in the one case from 



# g ee Neues Handworterbuch der Chemie, vol, II, page 385. 



