July 27, 1872.] 
THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
03 
more than slightly oval, and their walls are of con¬ 
siderable thickness, rarely perforate. The direction 
of the axis of the pits is transverse to the length of 
the vessel or cell, and is little affected by the septa 
or the occasional spiral fibre. Many of the vessels 
are much stained with vellowish-brown colouring 
matter, and a few contain a minutely granular matter 
of an apparently semi- albuminous nature. The 
cells of the medullary rays possess somewhat novel 
features. They are nearly square with rounded off 
corners, have tliick walls and are closely but minutely 
pitted. The pitting is indeed excessively minute, and 
in the centre of a relatively very large disc. The 
rays are incomplete and rarely do more than extend 
from the bark partly across the wood zone. The 
existence of a spiral thread in these cells is probable, 
but I have not been able to satisfactorily settle the 
matter. Considerable quantities of starch, some¬ 
times compound granules of small size, compounded 
regulaily according to the simple type we are already 
familiar with, frequently separate granules, and 
all possessing a distinct liilum, but apparently no 
central cavity. The doubtfully branched semi-liber 
semi-laticiferous vessels which contain the colouring 
matter may profitably occupy the student, but would 
lead me too far afield were I to enter upon their dis¬ 
cussion here. 
Cortical Layers .—The cells of the cortical layers 
are very varied. Those near the wood zone are 
angular, somewhat tliick-walled and contain starch 
in considerable quantities. Nearer the bark these 
cells become smaller and sometimes contain yellow 
colouring matter. In some a spiral thread is doubt¬ 
fully visible. The cells of the outer layers afford 
the student an excellent opportunity for studying 
the effect produced by an unequal deposition ot 
secondary deposits, and will remind him of the well- 
known drawing of the bark cells of Viscum in Mohl’s 
‘ Vegetable Cell.’ Hemidesmus is much more in¬ 
teresting to the micro-botanist than to the micro¬ 
pharmacist. 
{To be continued.) 
THE PREPARATION OF ATROPINE FROM 
THE LEAVES OF THE BELLADONNA. 
BY M. J. LEFORT. 
The employment of belladonna in therapeutics 
has long shown that all the parts of the plant con¬ 
tain atropine ; but the authors who have indicated 
particular processes for the preparation of tins 
organic base, have hitherto given the preference to 
the root as being more convenient than the leaves 
for chemical manipulation. The root, in fact, re¬ 
quires less alcohol than the leaf for the separation 
of the natural salt of atropine; moreover, the 
presence of chlorophyll in the alcoholic tincture of 
the leaf is a real hindrance to the decoloration of 
the product obtained, and finally it has always been 
supposed by them that the root was more rich in the 
alkaloid than the leaves. 
The numerous analyses which the author under¬ 
took for the purpose of his former memoir on the 
distribution of atropine in the leaf and root of the 
belladonna,* showed that the leaf, which is fairly 
constant in composition, contained an average of 
4 - 50 grams of atropine per kilogram of dried leaf, 
* Sea Phakm. Journ., Series 3, Vol. II. p. 1029. 
whilst the root contained quantities varying from 
two to five grams, according to the age of the plant. 
This last fact was already known to manufacturers 
preparing atropine on a large scale, and they had 
also remarked that the root coming from Germany 
or Switzerland, was richer in atropine than the root 
collected in France, but this the author ascertained 
to be due to the greater care taken in the collection 
and selection of the roots. The collection of the 
leaf being in France much more easy and productive 
than that of the root, and as the former contains 
nearly as much atropine as the latter, M. Lefort 
sought by following the indications of MM. Stas, 
Vee and Duquesnel for the separation of alkaloids 
by means of tartaric acid, alkaline carbonates 
and ether, to devise a method for using the leaves in 
the preparation of atropine on the large scale. The 
following is the result of his investigation. 
The dried leaves, coarsely bruised, are exhausted 
of all their soluble principles by boiling water con¬ 
taining ten grains of tartaric acid per kilogram of 
leaves. This addition of acid assists considerably 
the solution of the atropine existing in a state of 
combination in the vegetable cells. After straining, 
the decoction is evaporated to the consistence of a 
soft extract, the product averaging about 200 grams 
of aqueous extract from a kilogram of leaves. This 
is treated with concentrated alcohol and heated in 
a water-bath to about 50° C., to dissolve all the 
tartrate of atropine. The 200 grams of aqueous 
extract requires only one litre of alcohol, which is 
added in three or four separate portions; the strongly 
coloured brown tincture which results is then placed 
in a distillatory apparatus and the menstruum re¬ 
covered. 
The alcoholic extract so obtained is reduced to 
the consistence of syrup, which then weighs about 
50 grams. It is next put into a well-stoppered 
bottle with a quantity of ether, and agitated from 
time to time. The ether quickly becomes slightly 
greenish-yellow coloured, from the presence of a 
small quantity of resin and chlorophyll dissolved 
in the original decoction, whilst the tartrate of atro¬ 
pine not being soluble in ether remains in the ex¬ 
tract. Usually a single treatment by ether is suf¬ 
ficient to purify the alcoholic extract from these 
substances. Eight grams of caustic potash dissolved 
in half its weight of water, so as to make a concen¬ 
trated alkaline solution, is then added with a fresh 
quantity of ether. As the organic alkali is displaced 
by the mineral alkali, it dissolves in the ether if the 
mixture be shaken.* The extract is^ repeatedly 
exhausted by successive quantities of ether, and 
the ethereal tinctures are united, and the ether- 
distilled off. The residue left in the retort is a semi- 
solid, yellow-brown, transparent extract, which is. 
dissolved in water acidulated by sulphuric acid. A 
small quantity of resin, which gives to the crude: 
atropine an opalescent appearance, is thus separated. 
This solution of sulphate of atropine is concentrated, 
and bicarbonate of soda is added till effervescence 
ceases. Ether then dissolves all the atropine set 
free, and the spontaneous evaporation of the ether 
yields the crystallized atropine. 
The author states that, notwithstanding these 
* There is a perceptible odour of ammonia given oft upon 
the addition of the caustic potash to the extract, due to the 
presence in the extract of an ammoniacal salt contained noi- 
mally in the plant. 
