- 31 - 
cxA JEIURO, A, (85) 
QUASSIH AKT; I^S CO^ISTIIUTIOM, &r3. Ckin. Itrl. 14: 1-9. 1884. 
A-.icr, Jour.. Phc',r;.i. 5V: kS-oQ, 1385. [in Itrlipx:. ATDctrr-Ct in 
Jour. Chen, SuC. [Londor] 46: 1192-1193. 1834,] 
To prepare quassin iVom quassia, 10 kilograms of finely 
divided 'Jood are tv/ice extracted with' 45 1. of "boiliii^ water 
and tho solution evaporated to 10 1, at gentle heat. When 
cold, the qudssin is pre-:;ipitcted by tannin, collected, x'/ashed, 
nixed v'ith lead ca^^honete, ard driedr The product is then 
extracted V7ith ocilini? alcohol, tne alcohol distilled off, 
and the quassin allowed to crystallize, .-after \7hich it is 
purified ly repeated crystalli'^. ation from di].utc alcohol; 
30 ?:ilo^'rajns of v.'ooo. ^a^ve 10 g, or p',irc qiiassin. It crystallizes 
In very slender, colorlc^'^, iridescent, nonoclinic needles. 
It melts at 210-?11° and :: s vej.y soluhle in alcohol, 
chlorofora, and £,cetic a.::.d, but only sparingly in ether. 
100 parts 01 water at 22'^ dissolve 0.2529 [Parts?]. The 
aqueous solution bocomcs -/cllo^v on exposure to the air, is 
dextrorota.tory, cxccssivoly "bitter, and rcdxiccs Jchli ng' s 
solu.tion, PtO suits of analyses agree nearly with the formula 
^52''44*^10« 
"nhcn qu.-^.ssin is heated v/ith 4 percent sulphuric acid 
at 90"^ for some ho-'irs, it yields quassido, Cr.^o.H^o'^g' i^-<> P* 
192-194 , "by rc::;ov.jJ. of 1 molcc-alc of water ^'' Quasbidc is also 
foriiicd when quasrin is 'boalod with acetic a:ahydridc, but 
if sodiim acetate is present there is a pqw,-:rful reaction, 
cjid several :,.a".bsti:nccs seem to be produced. Brcniine in acetic 
a.cid acts on quassln in tne same solvent, ajid when water is 
axldec'i an amorphous resinous substance is cbtrincd«, This melts 
with dccompositlcn at 155°, and results of analyses sugj^est the 
foriiml;', Cr^^H,, 3rr,Co. The action of nitric a.cid on ajn acetic 
a-cid solution of qua.ssin seems to give rise to a nitre derivative, 
which is piecipita.tcd on addition of v/ater. It dissolves in 
boiling aJLcohol and, as the solution ccols, is deposited a^ain 
as a. ycllov;ish powder, m. p. 130^. If quascin is heated with 
concentrated hydrochloric ajcid in sealed tubes for '4 honors a,t 
100'', meth-'l chic ride is ^.volved, ajid tho a.cid solution, when 
dilut..d with water, deposits first a re si reus substance and 
later a colorless substance in small nodules, Tho latter, which the 
authors call quascic a^id, C, .H, ^O^CGOE or CooH„„Oc(COOii)^ 
is ta.r less sf^lublo in alcohol than quassin, crystallizes m 
sinks'- needles, m, p. 245"-", and reduces Pehling' s solution and 
aamonia.caJL silver nitrate. The action of na.sccnt hydrogen a.nd 
of boiling dilute nitric acici on quassin gives resinous products, 
5\ision '.vith pota.sh ajid oxida.tion '.vi th chromic rjihydrido were 
unsati afavCtory, 
