Clark-Kantor : Toxicological Experiments with Fungi 181 



which, in turn, was thoroughly triturated with powdered glass 

 until a stiff paste was formed. This paste was spread thinly on 

 large watch-glasses and kept in a vacuum desiccator over sul- 

 phuric acid for a week. The desiccator was frequently ex- 

 hausted. 



The resultant dry friable mass was then extracted with three 

 successive small portions of absolute alcohol. These solutions 

 were combined, evaporated to dryness on a water-bath, treated 

 with a small volume of water and filtered free from the large 

 amount of fatty matter which separated out. The filtrate was 

 usually clear and colorless, and neutral or slightly alkaline to 

 litmus. When 40 grams of material were used, the volume of the 

 final aqueous solution was about ten cubic centimeters. By 

 evaporation, this volume of solution yielded from 0.05-0.15 

 gram of a semi-crystalline residue. 



The modified method just outlined was adopted after several 

 other variations of it had been tried. For instance, Harmsen used 

 boiling alcohol to extract his material, but in our hands it was not 

 as satisfactory as the cold alcohol, because the hot solvent dissolved 

 a larger amount of gummy matter, and besides, such residues 

 showed no greater toxicity than those obtained by extraction 

 with cold alcohol. The success of this extraction method depends 

 upon the repeated purifications that result from re-solution of 

 the syrupy evaporation residues with fresh alcohol, and also upon 

 the complete drying of the powdered-glass-syrup mixture in the 

 desiccator. When the residue from the absolute alcohol extract 

 was treated with water, a bulky insoluble portion was separated. 

 The small amount of aqueous filtrate was used for injection 

 into frogs. 



The fact already mentioned, that potassio-mercuric iodide pre- 

 cipitated yellowish material when added to the Inocybe extract, 

 led to the use of this reagent for the purification of the toxic 

 substance. The method of alkaloid purification, as finally 

 adopted, was that recommended by Dragendorff,* which was con- 

 ducted as follows : 



The aqueous filtrate obtained in the last phase of the Harmsen 



♦Dragendorff: Plant Analysis, translated by Greenish. London, 1884, 

 PP- 57-8. 



