412 
Ergoxanthein. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\  September.  1910. 
This  solid  residue  when  dissolved  in  25  c.c.  of  alcohol  will  con- 
stitute the  standard  solution,  representing  25  c.c.  of  the  fluidextract, 
to  be  used  in  the  physiologic  and  spectroscopic  experiments. 
PHYSICAL  AND  CHEMICAL  PROPERTIES. 
Ergoxanthein  presents  an  orange-yellow,  uncrystallizable  solid. 
It  is  soluble  in  alcohol  and  ether,  but  insoluble  in  water  and  chloro- 
form. Its  alcoholic  solution  does  not  redden  blue  litmus  paper.  It 
combines  with  alkaline  bases  forming  blood-red  solutions,  alcoholic 
or  aqueous. 
Ergoxanthem  seems  to  bear  a  close  relationship  to  lutein,  a 
yellow  resinous  pigment  distributed  in  the  vegetable  and  animal 
kingdom.  Lutein  is  a  constituent  of  the  ray-fungus,  the  spectrum 
of  which  is  almost  identical  with  that  of  ergoxanthem,  but  it  differs 
materially  in  its  behavior  towards  chemical  tests. 
When  solid  ergoxanthein  is  brought  in  contact  with  strong  nitric 
acid,  its  yellow  color  is  changed  to  a  deep  orange  color,  while 
lutein  acquires  a  blue  color.  Sulphuric  acid  dissolves  ergoxan- 
thein to  a  blood-red  solution.  These  substances  also  differ  in  the 
color  of  their  solutions  in  chloroform,  lutein  giving  an  orange  color, 
while  ergoxanthein  retains  its  yellow.  Again,  ergoxanthein  is  very 
soluble  in  alcohol,  on  the  other  hand,  lutein  is  sparingly  soluble  and 
in  concentrated  hot  solutions  deposits  orange  flakes  on  cooling. 
Ergoxanthein  is  soluble  in  ether,  benzene,  acetic  ether,  amyl 
alcohol,  acetone,  and  carbon  disulphide.  Insoluble  in  water,  carbon 
terrachloride  and  chloroform. 
Basic  lead  acetate  precipitates  it  from  alcoholic  solutions  as  an 
orange  precipitate.  It  is  not  precipitated  by  barium  chloride.  Phos- 
photungstic  acid  precipitates  ergoxanthein  yellow. 
ON  OTHER  PIGMENTS  FOUND  IN  ERGOT. 
Zinnin,  in  1853,  showed  that  a  coloring  matter  could  be  extracted 
from  ergot  by  means  of  alcohol  strongly  acidulated  with  sulphuric 
acid.  He  recommended  it  for  the  detection  of  ergot  in  flour.  But 
no  spectrum  analysis  of  it  was  made. 
Uffelmann  announced  (Archiv.  f.  Hygiene,  Jahresbericht  der 
Pharm.,  1881-82)  a  yellow  coloring  matter,  which  he  also  proposed 
as  a  test  for  the  presence  of  ergot  in  flour,  by  the  extraction  with  a 
weak  solution  of  caustic  soda.    The  red  liquid  which  he  obtained 
