ON  THE  PREPARATION  OF  INULINE. 
459 
the  solution  by  means  of  animal  charcoal ;  the  sulphate  is  then 
crystallized  by  the  method  usually  adopted. 
There  is  another  mode  of  separating  the  quinine  when  dis- 
solved in  distilled  oils.  This  mode  is  by  the  application  of  heat 
in  any  of  the  known  ways  used  in  the  separation  of  liquids ;  but 
the  patentees  consider  this  process  less  advantageous,  and  prefer 
treating  the  oil  by  acidulated  water — Lond.  Pharm.  Jour.  1854. 
ON  THE  PREPARATION  OF  INULINE. 
By  C.  J.  Mirault. 
It  is  very  difficult  to  obtain  inuline  from  the  root  of  Inula  in  a 
state  of  purity,  if  the  root  be  treated  with  hot  water  and  the 
inuline  be  allowed  to  settle  after  the  concentration  of  the  fluid. 
It  is  only  after  repeated  treatment  with  charcoal  that  it  can  be 
obtained  sufficiently  white,  and  a  good  deal  is  thus  lost  by  absorp- 
tion in  the  charcoal. 
It  may  however  be  readily  obtained  pure  in  the  following  man- 
ner : — A  quantity  of  the  root  is  exhausted  by  displacement  with 
hot  water,  until  a  strong  solution  is  obtained,  which  does  not 
require  too  much  evaporation  ;  this  is  concentrated  to  10  to  12 
degrees  of  the  areometer,  when  double  its  quantity  of  alcohol  of 
spec.  grav.  0-860  is  added  to  it.  The  inuline  is  thrown  down  in 
a  nearly  white  powder,  which  is  dissolved  afresh  in  a  small 
quantity  of  distilled  water ;  this  solution  is  treated  with  bone- 
black,  and  again  precipitated  with  the  same  quantity  of  alcohol ; 
the  precipitate  is  collected  on  a  filter  and  dried,  which  now  takes 
place  very  rapidly,  as  the  fluid  contains  alcohol. 
Although  alcohol  is  employed  in  this  process,  it  is  still  a  very 
economical  method,  as  but  little  of  the  alcohol  is  lost. — London 
Chem.  Graz.  from  Journ.  de  Pharm.  et  de  Chim.,  3rd  ser.,  xxv. 
p.  205. 
