THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. [January 13,1872. 
5G1 
little cloudy upon cooling; the turbidity increased 
gradually, and eventually a yellow substance was 
deposited, which, under the microscope, presented 
the appearance of small granulations. This yellow 
substance dissolved completely in alcohol, and gave 
the following reactions:—With percliloride of iron 
a bottle-green precipitate; with neutral acetate of 
lead a yellow precipitate; with ammonia a yellow 
precipitate. A portion of the alcoholic solution eva¬ 
porated to dryness yielded a residue which, seen 
under the microscope, had the form of small granu¬ 
lations. This substance was impure quereitrin. 
The clear portion of the aqueous solution of the 
ethereal extract treated with ammoniacal sulphate 
of magnesia gave a brownish-yellow precipitate, 
composed principally of impure phosphate of am¬ 
monia and magnesia. The aqueous solution was 
then evaporated to dryness, and taken up by sul¬ 
phuric ether. Upon spontaneous evaporation taking 
place, a residue was left which, under the microscope, 
presented the appearance of beautiful prismatic 
needles, possessed of great bitterness and strongly 
reddening litmus paper. Its solution gave no preci¬ 
pitate with percliloride of iron; with neutral acetate 
of lead, a very slight precipitate after some time; and 
with chloride of calcium, chloride of barium and 
nitrate of silver, no precipitate. Submitted to the 
action of heat, these crystals were decomposed witli- 
.out volatilization. 
It appears from these facts that the flowers of 
Anthemis nobilis contain a particular acid, which is 
probably identical with that found by M. Pattone 
in the flowers of the common chamomile ( Anthemis 
arvensis). The author was unable to carry his exa¬ 
mination of this acid further, in consequence of the 
very small quantities obtained. 
The following process may be adopted for iso¬ 
lating this acid:—Treat dried chamomile flowers in 
a displacement apparatus with ether free from 
alcohol, evaporate the tincture in a water-batli to 
the consistence of an extract; treat with boiling 
distilled w 7 ater, filter warm, let it stand for twenty- 
four hours, filter afresh to separate the insoluble 
part, evaporate the filtrate to dryness, redissolve the 
residue in ether, and leave it to evaporate spon¬ 
taneously. 
After having exhausted the flowers with ether, the 
author treated them with rectified spirit. The alco¬ 
holic extract so obtained was without bitterness, and 
consisted principally of a yellow .substance that, 
examined under the microscope, was seen to contain 
yellow globules of a rich oil. 
The flowers of Anthemis nobilis , treated with dis¬ 
tilled water, yielded a notable quantity of glucose. 
The amount of sugar indicated by analysis varied 
according as the estimation was made by means of 
Feliling’s liquid, or by fermentation with beer yeast; 
the quantity indicated by Feliling’s liquor being 
23"498 per cent, of the weight of the flowers, while 
fermentation only indicated 14-890 per cent. It is 
probable, therefore, that the flowers contain, besides 
glucose, another substance that reduces the Fehling 
liquor. Professor Filliol* has previously shown 
that the quantity of sugar present in flowers varies 
from 12 to 23 per cent. 
The author also analysed the inorganic matters 
* “ Note relative a la Matiere Sucree des Fleurs, par 
M. Filhol.” {Mem. de VAcad, des Sciences de Toulouse, 5tli 
6er. vol. v. p. 445.) 
contained in the flowers of Anthemis nobilis. He 
submitted 100 grams of the flowers to incineration 
in a platinum crucible, which yielded a residue 
weighing G grams. This residue, treated with dis¬ 
tilled water, gave 2'852 grams of insoluble, and 3T75 
of soluble matter. 
The soluble matter was estimated as follows :— 
Sulphate of potash 
Chloride of potassium 
Carbonate of potash . 
Alkaline phosphate . 
. . 0 8103 gram. 
. . 1T629 „ 
. . 1T907 „ 
. . 0-0111 „ 
3T750 
The insoluble matters were estimated as follows:— 
Silica. 0-3967 gram. 
Phosphate of lime .... 1-6894 ,, 
Phosphate of magnesia . . 0T593 ,, 
Carbonate of lime . . . . 0"5798 „ 
2-8252 
When the author had arrived at this stage of the 
investigation he became acquainted with a memoir 
by M. Pattone, giving the results of his examination 
of the flowers of Anthemis arvensis, f and announcing 
the presence of an alkaloid and an organic acid in 
that plant. He therefore adopted the process of that 
operator in attempting to isolate a similar alkaloid 
from the flowers of Anthemis nobilis. Three kilo¬ 
grams of the dried flowers were submitted to distil¬ 
lation to obtain an aqueous extract. This was ex¬ 
hausted with boiling rectified spirit; the residue was 
then treated with boiling distilled water, the aqueous 
liquor filtered while warm, and left to cool. It de¬ 
posited an abundant precipitate of phosphates, which 
were separated by filtration, and to the filtrate solu¬ 
tion of ammonia was added, drop by drop, until an 
alkaline reaction was obtained; it was then set aside 
for twenty-four hours to obtain the precipitation of 
the alkaloid announced by M. Pattone. At the end 
of that time a gelatinous precipitate was formed 
enclosing some shining crystals, which, upon exa¬ 
mination, were found to be crystals of phosphate of 
ammonia and magnesia. The gelatinous precipitate, 
which, according to M. Pattone, should contain the 
alkaloid, was treated with acetic acid; but the author 
failed to detect its presence by any of the usual tests 
for alkaloids. Treated with alcohol, the precipitate 
gave a solution with an alkaline reaction, and a 
similar result followed the use of ether. Dried and 
incinerated to destroy organic matter a residue was 
left, consisting almost entirely of phosphates of lime 
and magnesia. 
It appears, therefore, to be satisfactorily esta¬ 
blished, that the flowers of Anthemis nobilis contain 
an organic acid exactly similar to the anthemic acid 
isolated by M. Pattone from the flowers of A. arvensis; 
but M. Camboulises was unable, although he followed 
scrupulously the process given by M. Pattone, to 
obtain any evidence of the presence of a correspond¬ 
ing alkaloid. 
f “ Suv la Presence d’un Alcaloide et d’un Acide Organique 
dans la Camomille vulgaire {Anthemis arvensis),” par M. 
Pattone {Journ. de Tharm. et de Chimie, 3rd ser. vol. xxxv. 
p. 198). 
