148 
DR. JOHN STENHOUSE ON VEGETABLE PRODUCTS FROM INDIA. 
yellovT-coloiired baryta salt. A solution of the acid likewise produced a crystallized 
lead salt. The ammoniacal salt was obtained in orange-coloured needles by satu- 
rating the acid with ammonia and crystallizing in vacuo. By double decomposition 
with tlie ammoniacal salt I prepared the silver combination, which, like all the others, 
agreed in its properties with Marchand’s description of nitrosalicylic acid salts. 
When subjected to analysis, 0-1695 grm. of the silver salt gave 
0-0630 grm. of silver, equal to 37' 17 per cent., 
the quantity of silver in nitrosalicylate of silver being 37*24 per cent. When datis- 
cine was allowed to stand in contact with dilute nitric acid in the cold it gradually 
dissolved, and the liquid assumed a yellow colour. The solution, when left to evapo- 
rate in vacuo, was found to contain a mixture of oxalic and nitropicric acids. 
Action of Potash on Datiscine and Datiscetine. 
It was stated in a previous part of this paper that datiscine and datiscetine dis- 
solve in solutions of caustic alkalies without decomposition, and that datiscine, when 
boiled for some time, is decomposed with the formation of datiscetine. It only 
remained therefore to try the action of fused hydrate of potash. Datiscetine, when 
added in small successive portions to fused hydrate of potash, assumed a deep orange 
colour, and then dissolved with the evolution of hydrogen gas. When the disengage- 
ment of hydrogen ceased, the mass was dissolved in water and supersaturated with 
hydrochloric acid. A partly crystalline resinous substance separated, which, by 
sublimation, yielded perfectly colourless long crystals, closely resembling benzoic 
cicid. Their solution in water assumed, on the addition of perchloride of iron, that 
deep violet tint which disappears on the addition of hydrochloric acid, and is 
characteristic of salicylic acid. 
Action of Chromic Acid. 
Datiscetine was likewise distilled with bichromate of potash and sulphuric acid; 
the liquid which came over did not contain oily drops, but had the smell of salicylous 
acid, and formed with persalts of iron a purple-coloured solution. 
A trace of salicylous acid appeared therefore to have been produced. 
It follows therefore, I think, from the experiment already detailed, that datiscine, 
like salicine, phloridzine, &c., is a glucoside, and that it approaches nearer tosalicine 
than any other glucoside, with the exception of populine, yet known. In fact I am 
not aware of any glucoside, with the exception of salicine and populine, which, when 
treated with nitric acid, yields nitrosalicylic or even nitropicric acid. Phloridzine 
and phloretine, for instance, when treated with nitric acid, are stated by different 
experimenters to yield only oxalic acid. I repeated the experiment with phloretine, 
and obtained much oxalic acid, while the residual liquor yielded not a trace of chlo- 
ropicrine when treated with hypochlorite of lime, and consequently contained no 
nitropicric acid. Quercitrine, when likewise treated with nitric acid, was also found 
