THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
[Januar 7 13, 1872. 
<571 
nine and. rhamnatine, which are insoluble in water, are 
.-only products of decomposition. 
Decoction of Persian berries is principally used in 
print works for producing bright yellows and greens, on 
prepared tin cloth, in steam styles. To obtain yellows, 
the extract is mixed either with a little red mordant 
(sulpho-acetate of alumina) or w'ith a little muriate of 
tin. The mixture is thickened, printed on, and the 
fabric steamed. To produce greens, the decoction of 
berries is mixed with prussiate of tin, the mixture is 
thickened and printed on the fabric, which is then 
steamed, when the yellow of the berries and the Prussian 
blue which is formed unite to produce green on the 
fabric. The decoction of berries is very apt to enter 
into fermentative decomposition, and thereby become 
'ropy ; this may be prevented by the addition of a little 
carbolic acid. 
A very fine brilliant yellow 7 lake is produced from a 
■decoction of Persian berries, the manufacture of w-hich 
was kept secret for a long period by the Dutch. It con¬ 
sists in adding pure carbonate of lime to the decoction, 
■when the lime salt falls, carrying with it the colouring 
matter of the decoction. The yellow lake thus pro¬ 
duced is moulded into small lumps, w r hich are dried in 
±he shade. 
There is a variety of mignonette w-hich used to be 
cultivated in England and France, called w’eld, its bota¬ 
nical name being Reseda luteola. This plant yields a 
most valuable yellow dye when fixed on wool by means 
of alum, not only because the colour is exceedingly bril¬ 
liant, but because it is very solid, resisting light, heat 
•nnd acids. Alkalies only communicate to it a slight 
orange tint. Its colouring matter w ? as extracted by 
31. Chevreul many years ago, and he gave it the name 
■of luteoline. He obtained it in yellow transparent crys- 
fals. By the action of oxidizing agents, such as bichro¬ 
mate of potash, it assumes a magnificent yellow tint, 
identical to that produced w r ith it in cotton fabrics. 
31. 3Ioldenhauer has since studied luteoline, to which 
he assigned the formula C 20 H 14 O 8 . It is slightly 
soluble in water, but very soluble in alcohol. It dis¬ 
solves without decomposition in strong sulphuric acid, 
and yields, even when greatly diluted wdth w r ater, a fine 
green colour with perchloride of iron. Schutzenberger, 
who has lately studied this body, states that when mixed 
with waiter and heated to a temperature of 480° F. in 
sealed glass tubes, it decomposes into w r hat he considers 
pure luteoline and resin. The luteoline is found in 
.crystals adhering to the sides of the tube, while the 
resin collects at the bottom. He states also, that if a 
■decoction of the berries is boiled with weak sulphuric 
acid, a new yellow colouring matter is produced, w r hich 
^possesses a high dyeing pow r er as well as a pure yellow 
True. 
The introduction of quercitron and flavine is the prin¬ 
cipal reason why weld has nearly disappeai’ed from the 
market. 
Aloes is imported into Europe from Bombay, Barba- 
-does, Jamaica and the Cape of Good Hope in the form 
-of resinous masses, varying considerably in size. It is 
f he dried sap or juice of several varieties of aloes, of the 
family of Asphodels. 
Dr. Stenhouse, who has examined this substance, has 
succeeded in isolating tw r o compounds; one, which 
crystallizes in yellow prismatic needles, is soluble in 
cold w’ater and alkalies, the solution having an orange 
f int. It has an intensely bitter taste. He has given it 
Ihe name alo'ine, and assigns to it the formula C 1; H )8 0-. 
The second compound, wdiich may be considered as 
fhe resin of aloes, has received the name of aloetine. Dr. 
;Schunck has produced from aloes a yellow dye, called 
chrysammic acid , which wall probably be yet extensively 
used. It is prepared by heating in a w’ater-bath eight 
parts of nitric acid with one of aloes; when the violence 
of the action has ceased a second part of aloes is added. 
'The application of heat is continued until hyponitric 
fumes cease to be given off. The mass is then poured 
slowly into a large bulk of water. The chrysammic 
acid falls in flakes to the bottom of the vessel. These 
are washed with water until they assume a fine purple 
colour. The formula of this acid is C-H. 2 2 (N 0 2 ) 0 2 . 
It forms small golden-yellow scales, soluble :n alcohol 
and ether. Although but sparingly soluble ir water, it 
communicates to it a magnificent purple tint, and its 
dyeing power is considerable. 3Ir. Saac has made a 
great number of dyeing experiments wdth chrysammic 
acid, and has produced wdth it a variety of shides. He 
believes that one day they will become commercial. 
Turmeric is the root or underground stem of the 
Curcuma tinctoria, a plant which grow r s abundantly in 
the East Indies. It is imported principally from Bom¬ 
bay, Java, Batavia and Barbadoes. That from Bombay 
is the most valuable. It is ground and sold to the dyers 
in the state of a fine powder of a remarkably brilliant 
orange hue, and of a strong odour. Vogel and Pelletier 
succeeded in extracting from it a colouring matter, to 
w 7 hich they gave the name of curcumine. 31. Lepage 
has, however, given the best process for its extraction. 
The ground roots are treated wdth bisulphuret of carbon, 
which dissolves a volatile oil and resinous matters. 
The root is then dried and acted on by a weak alkaline 
solution, wdiich dissolves the curcumine. To liberate it, 
the alkaline solution is neutralized wdth an acid, when 
the curcumine falls as a precipitate. This is collected, 
dried, and dissolved in ether, from which it separates 
under the form of small, brown scales, which yield on 
trituration, a brilliant, yellow powder. 
Turmeric is seldom used as a dye, owing to its colour 
being so easily affected by alkalies, a fact w r ell knowm to 
chemists, as they often employ it to ascertain the pre¬ 
sence of a trace of free alkali or boracic acid in solutions. 
It is used in India to flavour rice, and by the natives to 
colour their skin. 
Annatto is the pulpy part of the seeds of the Bixa 
Orellana , wdiich grows in South America. It is im¬ 
ported into this country from 3Iexico, Brazil, the An¬ 
tilles, and especially from Cayenne, in masses covered 
wdth leaves, and, varying in weight from 5 to 20 pounds. 
It is also imported in casks, weighing 4 or 5 cwt., as a 
homogeneous paste of the consistency of butter, and often 
having a repulsive odour of urine, w’hich, it is stated, is 
added by those who store it, to keep it moist and to 
impart to it a richer hue. 
At Cayenne, when the fruit of the Bixia is ripe, it is 
gathered, coarsely crushed, and thrown into water, 
wdiere it remains for several weeks. By this means the 
pulpy matter is separated from the kernel. It is next 
strained through a coarse cloth, and the colouring- 
matter gradually subsides. It is then collected, and the 
excess of wrater evaporated, until it assumes a pasty 
state, w 7 hen it is exposed to the atmosphere in the shade 
until sufficiently dry to be shipped. The powder so 
prepared, and especially at Cayenne, is comparatively 
inferior, owning to the mass fermenting and producing 
matters which prove injurious in the drying process. 
The following analysis may be taken as the average 
composition of such qualities of annatto:— 
Water. 
Leaves. 
Starch, mucilage, woody fibre . 
Colouring matter ..... 
. 3-85 
. 18-30 
. 5-60 
100-00 
Some thirty years ago a 31. du 3Iontel introduced at 
Cayenne some marked improvements in the manufacture 
of annatto. He suppressed the crushing of the seeds, 
separated the colouring matter by water, and prevented 
the fermentation by the addition of some chemical fluid. 
By this means he obtained annatto in a minute state of 
division, and having a very beautiful red colour, w'hich 
