1018 DR THOMAS R. FRASER ON STROPHANTHUS HISPIDUS. 



2. Chemical Composition of other Parts of the Plant. 



An examination was made of the comose appendages, pericarp, and other parts of 

 the plant, mainly for the purpose of determining if strophanthin is present in them, 

 and, if present, in what quantity. 



Taking advantage of the circumstance that ethyl ether precipitates the glucoside from 

 its solutions in alcohol, the process described at page 998 was adopted in the analyses, as 

 it appeared to be one that was likely to yield sufficiently accurate results for the purpose 

 immediately in view. 



Comose Appendages. 



7000 grains of comose appendages, carefully separated from all other parts of the 

 seed, were reduced to a powder by being passed through a Burroughs & Wellcome's 

 drug-mill, and the powder was macerated for six weeks with rectified spirit. The 

 spirit was removed by pressure in a tincture-press, and the marc was twice afterwards 

 saturated with fresh rectified spirit, which also was removed by strong pressure. The 

 extract obtained by distilling and evaporating this tincture weighed 136 grains, and 

 was of a dark reddish-brown colour, acid reaction, and bitter taste. Distilled water 

 imperfectly dissolved it, a dark resinous substance remaining undissolved. The watery 

 solution was filtered and several times carefully shaken with ether, and thereby an ether 

 extract, weighing 47 '1 grains, was obtained, which was reddish-brown in colour, and had 

 a pleasant aromatic odour. The watery solution was then evaporated, and during its con- 

 centration a considerable quantity of a dark pitch-like substance separated from it, which, 

 when dried, became hard and brittle. The extract obtained on the further evaporation 

 of the watery solution had a sweet mucilaginous odour and an acid reaction. It was, for 

 the most part, soluble in a small quantity of rectified spirit, the insoluble residue weighing 

 6 '5 grains, and having the characters of mucilage. The addition of ether to the alcoholic 

 solution produced an abundant precipitate, the alcohol-ether becoming at the same time 

 densely milky. After standing for several hours the milkiness disappeared, and the 

 decanted alcohol-ether yielded on distillation a further small quantity of resin. The pre- 

 cipitate thrown down by ether from the alcohol solution weighed when dry 5035 grains ; 

 and it was bitter, markedly acid, amorphous, and of a dark brown colour. 



The chief results of this analysis are stated below. 



Analysis No. 42. 



7000 grains of comose appendages yielded — 



Alcohol extract (8 of rectified spirit to 1 of comose appendages), 136 grains = T94 per cent. 



136 grains of alcohol extract yielded — 



Ethyl ether extract, 471 grains = 3463 per cent, of extract, or - 67 per cent, of comose appendages. 



Mucilage, 6-5 grains = 4"78 „ „ 0-092 



Resin, 30-36 grains = 22-32 „ „ 0-43 



Impure strophanthin, 50-35 grains = 37-02 „ „ 071 „ „ „ 



