NOTES ON MYRTICOLORIN. 377 
NOTES ON MYRTICOLORIN. 
By Henry G. Smrrg, F.c.s., Technological Museum, Sydney. 
[Read before the Royal Society of N. 8. Wales, December 1, 1897.] 
Ina paper’ read before this Society on the 4th August last, I 
announced a true dye material found existing in the leaves of the 
“Red Stringy Bark,” Zucalyptus macrorhyncha, Having found 
by the preliminary examination that the material belonged to the 
quercetin group of natural dyes, I named it myrticolorin, believing 
it to be the first possible commercial dye-stuff obtained from the 
natural order Myrtacew. In the abstract of the paper published 
by the Society, it is stated that “it can be obtained in abundance 
and with a minimum of trouble, and hence its discovery may be 
of commercial importance.” 
The object of the present notes is to amplify the above with 
the following statements :— 
(a) That myrticolorin is a glucoside of quercetin. 
(6) That it is to be obtained in large quantities. 
(c) That the mode of extraction is extremely simple. 
(¢d) That in this product Australia has a material of great 
; value, and probably able to successfully compete with 
quercitron bark from Quercus tinctoria, and fustic. 
We will consider these statements in the above order. 
(a) That myrticolorin is a glucoside of quercetin is proved by 
the fact that on boiling in dilute sulphuric acid it breaks up into 
quercetin, proved by its reactions, particularly its acetyl derivative, 
and a sugar or sugars belonging to the glucoses, this being readily 
fermented by yeast, reduces Fehling’s solution on heating, is 
Sweetish in taste and partly crystallises from water in microscopic 
transparent prisms, probably monoclinic. It therefore differs 
1 On the Saccharine and Astringent Exudations of the “ _— Gum,” 
yptus punctuta, and on a product allied to aromaden: 
