BARK OF FOUQUIERIA SPLENDENS 119 
on warming the bark, exudes and possesses a resinous or gum¬ 
like consistency. 
In the present investigation, the scheme proposed by Dra- 
gendorff 1 has been followed out, with the exception of the 
maceration at the ordinary temperature; an apparatus simi¬ 
lar to the one last devised by Tollens 2 has been used for the 
extraction. The air-dried material reduced to a very fine 
powder was again dried at ioo° C., giving 9.4 % moisture, since 
the great importance of powdering the material for the various 
estimations as insisted upon by Dragendorff, 3 was fully con¬ 
firmed in these examinations. Quantitative determinations 
with ocotilla bark reduced to fine pieces gave 2 % and 3.5 % 
less than the percentage obtained from the estimations with 
the powdered substance. Determination of total ash gave 
10.26 %; a qualitative ash analysis showed the presence of 
calcium, magnesium, aluminum, potassium, sodium, and a 
trace of iron; sulphates, phosphates, and chlorides. 
Ten grams of the air-dried powder treated with petroleum 
spirit of boiling point 46° C. extracted a substance without 
aromatic odor, communicating to the liquid a light color. 
From 100 c. c. a measured portion was evaporated for de¬ 
termination of total amount of substances brought into solu¬ 
tion. The residue dried at ioo° C. gave 9 %; at no° C. 8.87 %; 
at 120 0 C. 8.875 % an d a loss of .125 % showing scarcely ap¬ 
preciable trace of volatile oil. The remainder of the petroleum 
spirit extract, on evaporation at the ordinary temperature, 
left a solid yellowish-green wax substance of specific gravity 
.984, melting from 84° C. to 85° C., insoluble in water, slowly 
soluble in boiling 95 % alcohol, readily in absolute alcohol, in 
cold ether, chloroform, amyl alcohol, benzole, carbon disul¬ 
phide, oil of turpentine, and linseed oil; slightly dissolved 
in aqueous alkalies, but not saponifying with them. It is col¬ 
ored yellow by nitric acid; acted upon by concentrated sul¬ 
phuric acid, and not by hydrochloric acid or aqua regia. 
1 Plant Analysis , Qualitative and Quantitative , G. Dragendorff, Ph. D. 
Translated from the German by H. G. Greenish. London, 1884. 
2 Zeitschrift f. anal. Chemie , xiv, 82, 1875, and xvii, 320, 1878. 
3 Loc. cit. 
