VOLATILE  OIL  OF  THE  SEED  OP  CICUTA  VIROSA.  251 
dissolved  in  ether  leaving  a  tasteless  gummy  mass  behind.  The 
ethereal  solution,  after  evaporation  and  treating  with  boiling 
water,  yielded  bryonitin.  The  part  insoluble  in  water,  was 
added  to  the  other  ethereal  solution.  The  alcoholic  solution, 
after  repeated  treatment  with  ether,  acetate  of  lead,  alcohol,  &c, 
yielded  more  bryonitin  and  a  soft  fatty  matter  of  a  peculiar 
smell  but  devoid  of  all  bitterness. 
The  results  are  :  the  aqueous  solution  of  the  alcoholic  extract 
contains  much  bryonin,  little  bryonitin,  yellow  resin  soluble  in 
ether,  brown  fat,  coloring  matter  soluble  in  water  and  alcohol ; 
the  portion  insoluble  in  water  contains  little  bryonin,  more 
bryonitin,  yellow  resin  soluble  in  ether,  brown  fat,  coloring 
matter  soluble  in  alcohol. 
Bryonin  on  being  treated  with  acids  splits  into  sugar  and 
two  bodies,  of  which  one  is  soluble  in  ether — bryoretin,  and  one 
insoluble  in  that  liquid,  hydro-bryotin.  Of  each  of  these  bodies 
the  author  has  made  three  elementary  analyses,  of  which  the  fol- 
lowing is  an  abstract. 
Bryonin  loses  at  100°  C  5*65  per  cent,  water. 
Anal  Med  :  Calcul. 
C  96  59-91  60-00 
H  80  8-37  8-33 
0  38     31-72  31-66 
Anal.  Med  :    Calrul.  Anal  Med:  Calcul. 
Bryoretin:         C  42  63-09  63-13  Hydrobryotin     C  42     60-00  60-43 
H  35  8-78  8-77  H  37       9-36  8-87 
O  14  28-13  28-10  O  16     30-64  30-70 
Bryoretin       =C  42  H  35  O  14 
Hydrobryotin  =  C  42  H  37  O  16 
Sngar            =  C  12  H  12  O  12 
Bryonin-f4HO=C  96      H  84      O  42 
The  sugar  was  estimated  by  Fehling's  test. 
JSfeues  Jahrb.  f.  Pharm.  and  Wittsteins  Vierielj.  1858.  550-558. 
J.  M.  M. 
ON  THE  VOLATILE  OIL  OF  THE  SEED  OF  CICUTA  VIROSA. 
By  Julius  Trapp. 
The  author  obtained  from  10  lbs.  of  the  seed  collected  in  au- 
tumn and  dried,  by  distillation  with  water,  2  oz.  of  a  nearly  col- 
orless thin  volatile  oil,  lighter  than  water  and  of  the  taste  and 
smell  of  the  oil  of  cuminum  cyminum.    In  accordance  with 
