- 16 - 
The quassir. thus ootained is alniost insolulDle in 
water, readily sol\i"ble in alcohol and chloroform, in- 
soluble in ether. It is not a glycoside, but reduces 
ammoniacal silver oxide, discoli^es without color in con- 
centrated nitric acid find with a "brown coloration in 
sulphuric acid. Solutions of quassiin are not affected by 
lead acetate, sugar of lead, or iron chloride, but are pre- 
cipitated by tannic acid. 
EVERS, N, (46) 
THE CHEinSTRY OF DRUGS. 247 pp, London. 1926. 
"Quassia Wood is obtained from Picrasma excelsa , 
a tree grov/ing in Jamaica. It is used in medicine, as a 
bitter. The bitter principles may be extracted by the 
following method: An aqueous infusion of the v;ood is 
prepared, neutralized, and precipitated v/ith tannic acid. 
The tannate is decomposed with lead carbonate, and on extrac- 
tion with alcohol crade quassin is obtained. 
" Quassin , v;hen purified, crystallizes in slender, 
colourless needles, molting at 210 to 211°. It consists 
of a mixture of two substances: '^-picrasmin melting at 
204°, andl^-picrasmin melting at 209° to 212°. 'By the 
action of hydrochloric acid«^ -picrasmin yields picrasrnic 
acid. Surinam quassia from Quassia amara yields similar 
but not identical bitter principles. On hydrolysis with 
hydrochloric acid the quassin obtained gives a dibasic 
acid, quassic acid, and two molecules of methyl chloride, 
so that quassin is probably the dimethyl ether of quassic acid 
(p. 215). 
FLUCKIGER, J. A. ' (47) 
PHARl-aKOGNOSIE DES PELANSEjmSlOHSS. 1049 pp. Berlin. 1883. 
Lignum quassiae surinamonse and Llgrxun quassiae jamaicense 
are discussed. The weak narcotic action of quassiin is well 
known to be distinctly exhibited toward insects (flies) 
(pp. 493-500). 
FRENCH, C. , jr. (48) 
INSECT PESTS OF THE FRUIT, FLOV/ER, AND FEGETABLE GARDEN 
AND HOW TO TREAT THEM. Victoria Dept. Agr. Jour. 14: 
213-218, 214-317, 433-438, 495-498, 604-611. 1916. 
.Quassia is recommended for the control of the following 
pests: green peach aphid (Mysus sp.) , metallic tomato fly 
(Lonchaea splendida) , thrips (Thrips t abaci Lind.) , and rose 
aphid. 
LC 
