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THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [February 18,1871. 
aqueous solution must be evaporated nearly to dry¬ 
ness, with the addition of a small portion ot baiium 
carbonate, and boiled with a large quantity of alco¬ 
hol. On distilling off the alcohol the myronate crys¬ 
tallizes. About 90 grains are produced from 2 lbs. 
of seed. With a little solution of myrosin these 
crystals yield the oil of mustard, which is the sulplio- 
cyanate of allyl. 
We may now easily understand the chemical 
changes that take place when table mustard, or a 
mustard poultice is prepared. The water dissolves 
the myrosin, sets it at liberty to act on the myronate 
of potassium, and from its decomposition is produced 
the essential oil, acid potassium sulphate, and 
glucose. 
K,C 10 H 19 NS s O 10 =C 3 H ? CNS + C 6 H 12 0 6 +KHS0. 
Myronate of Potassium. 01. Sinapis. Glucose. Acid Sul' 
phate of Potassium. 
Alcohol, acids, potassium carbonate, or heat prevent 
this change, so that the popular notion of preparing 
mustard for the table, or as a poultice, with vinegar 
or boiling water is a great mistake. Cold water and 
time for maceration are the true scientific and best 
method. When making the French preparation 
with vinegar, the oil must first be developed with 
cold water, and then the vinegar added, because 
when the oil is once formed, acids do not alter its pro¬ 
perties. 
The natural connection between the mustards and 
the garlics has been mentioned, and is easily ex¬ 
plained by a chemical experiment, the object of 
which is to convert the oil of mustard (sulphocya- 
nate of allyl) into oil of garlic (sulpiride of allyl). 
This is accomplished by heating the former to a 
temperature of 250° for some hours in a sealed tube 
with dipotassic sulphide (K 2 S):— 
2 (C 3 H 5 CNS) + K 2 S= (C 3 H 5 ) 2 S + 2 (KCNS). 
Oil of Mustard. Oil of Garlic. Potassic Sul- 
phocyanide. 
The well-known pungent smell of the volatile oil is 
made use of, to detect the adulteration of oil-cake 
with mustard-cake, and sold as food for cattle. A 
little of the suspected cake is stirred with a little luke¬ 
warm water, and placed aside for a few hours. If a 
very small percentage of mustard be used, it will 
soon become apparent by the peculiar odour of oil of 
mustard. 
Sinapis alba (Linn.). 
This species is found in the same locality, and in 
somewhat greater abundance than that already de¬ 
scribed, from which it differs by the pinnatifid leaves 
and bristly pods. 
It also differs essentially in its chemical composi¬ 
tion. The seeds of the white mustard contain no 
myronate of potassium, and therefore cannot produce 
any volatile oil. They, however, contain a larger 
proportion of the nitrogenous ferment myrosin, which 
explains the reason why a mixture of black and 
white seeds produces a better flour for dietetic use 
than the black alone, viz. by furnishing a more 
plentiful supply of myrosin for the decomposition of 
the myronic acid in the black. 
Instead of the myronate of potassium, the white 
mustard-seeds contain a crystallizable compound 
called sulphocyanate of sinapin. It may be pro¬ 
cured by exhausting the seeds, first with ether and 
then with hot alcohol. The greater part of the alco¬ 
hol is distilled off 1 , when prismatic crystals separate. 
Sulphocyanate of sinapin (C 16 H 23 N0 5 ,CNHS) is 
inodorous and bitter. It is coloured yellow by am¬ 
monia, strychnine, morphine, quinine and nicotine, 
but not narcotine or salicine. It is reddened by 
nitric acid and persalts of iron. This explains the 
curious circumstance that percliloride of iron red¬ 
dens an infusion of white but not of black mustard. 
The slightly pungent taste of white mustard is 
caused by the action of the myrosin moistened with 
water upon the sulpliocyanide of sinapin, forming an 
acrid but not a volatile principle. 
When acted upon by alkalies, the sinapin salt is 
converted into another base, sincalin (C 5 H 18 NO), 
potassic sinapate, and potassium sulphocyanate. 
C J6 H 23 N0 5 ,CNHS + 3KH0 
Sulphocy. Sinapin. 
= C u H 10 K 2 O 5 + C 5 H, 3 NO + CNKS + 2H 2 O. 
Potass. Sinap. Sincalin. Pot. Sulphocy. 
On pressure, the seeds of the white mustard will 
yield sometimes as much as 30 per cent, of fixed oil. 
The microscopic structure of the mustard-seed is 
extremely interesting, especially in the case of the 
white, which is essentially different from the black. 
The seeds of both have a husk, built up with 
three layers of cells, or tunics. The exterior tunic 
consists of a transparent series of hexagonal cells 
inch broad and ^ inch long, and united to each 
other by a corrugated cell-wall. In the centre of 
each is an aperture surrounded by an elastic spiral 
fibre, from which a long tube passes from the exte¬ 
rior to the interior. When wetted with water this 
elastic apparatus springs forward, projecting from 
the surface like the schoolboy’s “Jack in the box,’ 
carrying with it the tube, from which flows a muci¬ 
laginous fluid. It is distinctly different from the 
well-known spirals of the Gollomia, but rather re¬ 
sembles the cushion-springs of the upholsterer, 
covered with an exceedingly fine membrane. The 
best method of viewing it under the microscope is 
by the aid of polarized light and a blue selenite 
stage. This curious compound cell is totally absent 
in the black mustard-seeds. 
The middle tunic is a single layer of very small 
cells, averaging only inch, and filled with the 
colouring matter.* The internal coat of the husk 
consists of a layer of cells about -nho i 11 diame¬ 
ter, and irregular in shape and size. The seed itself 
is formed of minute cells, which contain a large 
quantity of fixed oils. 
Neither iodine nor polarized light indicate the pre¬ 
sence of starch in any part of the mustard-seeds, so 
that an admixture of wheat or other flour may be 
readily detected. 
Nat. Order. Linacea. 
This small Order, although only numbering three 
genera, and all insignificant in size, yet have played 
no small part hi the history of mankind. All are 
famous for yielding an abundance of useful products. 
Only one species is made use of in our materia 
medica. 
Linum usitatissimum (Linn.). 
As its specific name denotes, the flax plant is 
most valuable for many purposes. It has furnished 
our garments from the earliest period. It is the 
chief ingredient hi our pahits, the best application 
for a burn, and a most excellent food for our cattle 
when other fodder is scarce. To it the surgeon owes 
