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^mb^fS'}  Ergoxanthein.  41 1 
questionably  due  to  Robert,  Barger,  Dale,  and  others,  for  the  amount 
of  labor  bestowed  to  obtain  the  valuable  results  in  elucidating-  the 
chemistry  and  physiologic  action  of  the  active  constituents  of  ergot. 
The  writer,  herewith,  announces  an  active  constituent  found  in 
the  fluidextract  of  ergot,  not  an  alkaloid,  but  a  principle  possessing 
an  undoubted  action  upon  the  human  organism.  This  substance  has 
been  provisionally  named  ergoxanthein  (ergot-yellow)  on  account 
of  the  color  of  its  alcoholic  and  etherial  solutions. 
THE  PREPARATION  OF  ERGOXANTHEIN. 
Twenty-five  cubic  centimetres  of  Squibb's  fluidextract  were 
mixed  with  75  c.c.  of  95  per  cent,  alcohol,  the  mixture  allowed  to 
stand,  with  occasional  shaking,  about  12  hours.  A  dark  brown 
precipitate  will  separate  out,  the  clear  supernatant  liquid  acquiring 
a  sherry-wine  color. 
The  precipitate  is  composed  principally  of  DragendorfY's  sclero- 
mucin,  a  violet  coloring  matter  probably  scleroxanthin,  a  resin,  and 
magnesium,  potassium,  and  iron  salts  of  phosphoric  acid. 
The  filtrate  from  this  precipitate  was  evaporated  in  a  shallow 
dish  at  a  temperature  of  about  30 0  C.  until  the  alcohol  was  com- 
pletely expelled,  adding  from  time  to  time  water.  Then  diluted 
with  water  to  measure  50  c.c,  allowed  the  mixture  to  cool,  and  the 
dark  brown  precipitate  to  settle.  Next  transferred  the  mixture  to  a 
filter,  collected  the  precipitate  and  washed  it  with  water  until  100  c.c. 
of  filtrate  were  obtained.  This  brown  precipitate  represents  the 
impure  sphacelic  acid  of  Kobert  mixed  with  separated  carbon. 
The  filtrate  from  this  precipitate  was  then  transferred  to  a  stop- 
pered separator,  mixed  with  an  equal  volume  of  chloroform,  and 
well  shaken  together,  in  order  to  remove  a  resinous  substance.  The 
filtrate  having  been  shaken  out  thoroughly  by  chloroform  was  next 
mixed  with  an  equal  volume  of  ether  and  shaken  until  the  etherial 
extraction  became  nearly  colorless. 
The  shaking  out  in  each  case  should  be  continued  at  least  three 
times.  The  mixed  etherial  yellow  extraction  which  now  holds  the 
ergoxanthein  in  solution  was  distilled  from  a  Liebig's  condenser 
to  a  small  volume,  transferred  to  a  small  tared  beaker,  the  liquid 
finally  evaporated  on  a  water  bath  to  dryness  and  weighed.  The 
amount  of  ergoxanthein  usually  obtained  will  average  about  0.25 
per  cent. 
