AmjuOnUe?i908a,m*}     Chemical  Examination  of  Ipomoea  Purpurea.  255 
Examination  of  the  Steam  Distillate. 
The  distillate  was  extracted  with  ether,  the  ethereal  liquid  being 
dried  with  anhydrous  sodium  sulphate,  and  the  ether  removed.  A 
small  amount  of  an  essential  oil  was  thus  obtained  which,  when  dis- 
tilled under  a  pressure  of  35  mm.,  passed  over  between  90  and  1800 
C.  It  had  a  pale  yellow  color,  a  strong  characteristic  odor,  and  the 
following  constants:  d  20°/20°  =09085;  aD — 40  52'  in  a  1 
dcm.  tube.  The  amount  of  this  essential  oil  was  3-5  grammes,  cor- 
responding to  0-018  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  the  drug. 
Examination  of  the  Aqueous  Liquid  (A). 
The  aqueous  liquid  remaining  in  the  steam  distillation  flask  was 
separated  from  the  previously  mentioned  soft  resin,  and,  together 
with  the  washings  from  the  latter,  evaporated  to  a  small  volume. 
It  then  formed  a  very  dark,  syrupy  liquid,  which,  on  standing,  de- 
posited a  quantity  of  crystals  amounting  to  about  40  grammes. 
These  were  separated,  and  washed  with  a  little  alcohol,  when  on 
further  examination  they  were  found  to  be  entirely  inorganic,  and  to 
consist  of  a  mixture  of  potassium  chloride  and  nitrate. 
The  syrupy  liquid  was  subsequently  diluted  with  water,  and 
treated  with  a  slight  excess  of  solution  of  basic  lead  acetate,  when 
an  abundant,  deep  yellow  precipitate  was  produced.  This  was  col- 
lected on  a  filter  and  washed  with  water,  the  washings  being  added 
to  the  filtrate. 
Basic  Lead  Acetate  Precipitate. — This  was  suspended  in  water, 
decomposed  with  hydrogen  sulphide,  and  the  lead  sulphide  removed 
by  filtration.  The  filtrate  had  an  orange-yellow  color  and  gave  a 
greenish-brown  coloration  with  ferric  chloride,  indicating  the  pres- 
ence of  a  small  amount  of  tannic  matter.  When  concentrated,  it 
formed  a  dark  brown  syrup.  As  the  latter  deposited  nothing  of  a 
crystalline  character  on  standing,  it  was  extracted  with  ether,  and 
the  ethereal  liquid  shaken  with  successive  portions  of  a  solution  of 
sodium  carbonate.  The  first  two  extractions  with  alkali  were  of  a 
red  color,  and,  when  diluted,  showed  a  blue  fluorescence,  whereas 
the  subsequent  extractions  were  colorless.  The  alkaline  liquids 
were  then  acidified  and  extracted  with  ether,  but  only  a  trace  of  an 
amorphous,  reddish  substance  was  obtained.  The  original  ethereal 
liquid  which  had  been  shaken  with  alkali  was  dried  and  the  ether 
removed,  but  it  gave  practically  no  residue. 
