February s, 1872.] THE PHARMACEUTICAL JOURNAL AND TRANSACTIONS. 
623 
THE ALGERIAN CALLITRIS. 
BY JOHN R. JACKSON, A.L.S., 
Curator of the Museums , Kew. 
Pounce is an article now seldom or never seen; 
indeed, the name itself is to many persons quite un¬ 
known. But before the general introduction of 
blotting-paper, pounce was in constant use with 
those who wield the pen. It is, or was, simply the 
powdered resin known in commerce as sandarach. 
This resin, in appearance, is not unlike masticli; it 
is, however, somewhat whiter, rather more transpa¬ 
rent, and, as it belongs to the Coniferous Order, it 
partakes of the characteristic smell of those resins. 
It occurs in long thin tears, varying from a quarter 
to half an inch in length. Its chief use at the pre¬ 
sent time is for making a clear varnish. The tree 
which furnishes this resin is known as the Arar, and 
is the CaUitris quadrivalvis of Vent, and the Thuja 
articulata of Yahl. It differs from the Thujas, how¬ 
ever, in the form of its cones, which have four woody 
scales opening or dehiscing like an ordinary capsule. 
The tree is of a straggling growth, seldom or never 
exceeding 30 ft. high, but producing a hard, dark-co¬ 
loured, highly ornamental wood, which is the Thuja or 
citron-wood of the ancients, and, it is said, was much 
valued for tables in ancient Home. Cicero is stated 
to have possessed one the value of which was esti¬ 
mated at one million sestertia, equal to about T9000 ; 
and even still more fabulous prices are recorded as 
having been paid for them. The wood is considered 
almost indestructible by the Moors, who form the 
ceilings and doors of their mosques with it. It is 
now much used and esteemed in this country for 
small articles of furniture, and for inlaying in cabinet 
work. Two varieties of the tree appear to be known 
in Morocco; one, which is of much larger growth 
than the other, is said not to produce sandarach, 
but to yield the ornamental wood. From the roots 
of one or botli varieties the natives prepare by bruis¬ 
ing a thick kind of tar, which they use for various 
purposes; a thinner or more liquid kind is also 
made, which is very generally used as a caustic for 
wounds, more particularly for wounds on the backs 
of draught animals, such as the horse, mule, camel 
and donkey. For this purpose Europeans as well as 
natives have borne testimony of its efficacy. 
CRYSTALLIZED ACONITINE.* 
BY M. DUQUESNEL. 
(Continued from page 004.) 
Chemical Reactions. 
Aconitine in the alkaloidal state, or as a solution 
of a neutral salt, nitrate for example, presents in the 
presence of reagents the following characters :— 
Nitric Acid gives a solution, pure and simple, with¬ 
out colour. 
Dissolved in dilute Phosphoric Acid, and evapo¬ 
rated to a certain degree of concentration, it gives, 
as indicated by M. Otto, a violet coloration. This 
reaction is obtained with difficulty, but is valuable 
as being the only coloured reaction peculiar to aconi¬ 
tine. Sulphuric acid gives a similar result, but yields 
the same coloration with other alkaloids. 
* De l’Aconitine Cristallisd et des Preparations d’Aconit, 
Etude Chimique et Pharmacologique. Par H. Duquesnel, 
Pharmacien de Premiere Classe. Paris : Bailliere et Pits. 
Weak Acids rapidly dissolve aconitine with the 
formation of non-deliquescent salts, crystallizable in 
a neutral liquor, and easily recognized tinder the 
microscope. 
Fixed Alkalies precipitate aconitine as a white 
gelatinous magma, which, when a solution of impure 
and coloured alkaloid is used, contains much colour¬ 
ing matter. 
Ammonia acts similarly, but sometimes precipi¬ 
tates the alkaloid slowly, especially if it is in com¬ 
bination with hydrochloric acid. From a warm so¬ 
lution the alkaloid is sometimes precipitated in a 
crystalline form. 
Carbonate ami Bicarbonate of Potash give an abun¬ 
dant white precipitate insoluble in an excess. This 
precipitate does not form in the presence of tartaric 
acid if the solution be too dilute. From a more con¬ 
centrated solution the alkaloid is sometimes obtained 
in crystals. 
Phosphate of Soda, Neutral and Basic Acetate of 
Lead, Gallic and Pyrogallic Acids give no precipi¬ 
tate. 
Picric Acid gives a slowly forming yellow precipi¬ 
tate, soluble in excess of ammonia. 
Tannin gives a plentiful white precipitate, inso¬ 
luble in acidulated water. 
Chloride of Gold and Chloride of Platinum give 
yellowish-white precipitates, insoluble in excess of 
water, soluble in alcohol. 
The double Iodide of Mercury and Potassium * is 
an extremely delicate test for aconitine, giving a 
precipitate if the alkaloid be present in acidulated 
water, in the proportion of one part in twenty thou¬ 
sand. The double iodide of mercury and aconitine 
so formed is dull white, or yellowish-wliite. Melted 
it becomes greenish and transparent. Sulphuric 
acid added to peroxide of barium gives it a yellow 
colour, which becomes red on warming; nitric acid 
turns it a reddish-brown, approaching to brick-red. 
Heated in a test-tube, the precipitate acquires a ver¬ 
milion colour, which partly disappears on the ad¬ 
dition of water, but reappears if the liquor be 
strongly acidified. At a sufficiently high tempera¬ 
ture this double iodide gives off fetid vapours with 
an odour similar to that of cacodyle; upon cooling, 
the sides of the tube are covered with minute, colour¬ 
less, acicular crystals. 
Solution of Iodine gives a kermes-brown preci¬ 
pitate. 
Per iodide of Potassium gives a kermes-brown 
precipitate, and is the chemical antidote to aconitine. 
Sidpho-cyanide of Potassium, after a short time, 
gives a white microscopic crystalline precipitate. 
Salts of Aconitine. 
With the exception of Mr. Groves, who contri¬ 
buted some specimens of crystalline salts of aconitine 
to the International Exhibition of 1802, and after¬ 
wards described the method of their preparation,! 
chemists who have studied this alkaloid have hither¬ 
to generally spoken of it as forming uncry stalliz able 
and non-deliquescent salts. But the crystallized 
aconitine of M. Duquesnel forms, with the majority 
of acids, salts that are easily crystallizable, provided 
* Winkler’s formula for this compound is— 
Corrosive Sublimate .... 13'546 grams. 
Iodide of Potassium .... 49'000 „ 
Distilled Water to 1 litre, 
f Piiaem. Jouen., 2nd Ser. Vol. VIII. p. 121. 
