ON  SAMADERINE. 
343 
yellowish-white  and  afterwards  red  flame,  and  forms  soaps  with 
alkalies. 
The  resin  of  the  fruits  is  a  brown  substance  of  a  very  bitter 
taste,  which  attracts  moisture  rapidly  from  the  air,  and  then 
deliquesces.  Water  dissolves  a  little  of  it,  and  this  solution 
furnishes  a  black  precipitate  with  solution  of  perchloride  of  iron 
(tannate).  When  heated  it  melts,  becomes  inflated,  and  burns 
very  readily,  diffusing  a  resinous  odor,  and  leaving  behind  a  pale 
grey  ash,  which  is  almost  soluble  in  water.  It  consists  for  the 
most  part  of  chlorides  of  lime  and  potash  with  traces  of  iron. 
The  'portions  soluble  in  water  are  of  a  pale  brown  color,  and 
when  evaporated  leave  an  extract,  which  deliquesces  in  the  air. 
They  are  as  bitter  as  the  alcoholic  extracts,  and  consist  of  a 
mixture  of  extractive  matter,  sugar,  tannic  acid,  and  sama- 
derine. 
The  ash  which  they  leave  after  combustion,  effervesces 
strongly  with  acids,  and  consists  principally  of  chlorides  of 
lime  and  potash. 
The  fat  of  the  bark  is  pale  yellow,  has  a  neutral  reaction,  and 
possesses  an  oily  bitter  taste  (caused  by  the  solution  of  some 
samaderine  in  ether  not  quite  free  from  water ;)  it  is  of  a  soft 
resinous  consistency,  and  may  be  drawn  out  into  threads.  It 
is  only  partially  saponifiable,  and  consists  of  a  mixture  of  fat 
and  a  resinous  body. 
The  resin  of  the  bark  agrees  nearly  with  that  of  the  fruits, 
but  its  aqueous  solution  furnishes  a  far  stronger  precipitate  with 
perchloride  of  iron  than  that  obtained  from  the  fruits. 
The  portions  of  the  bark  soluble  in  water  had  the  same  proper- 
ties as  those  of  the  fruits. 
The  most  important  constituent  of  the  bark  and  fruits  of 
Samadera  indica  is  undoubtedly  the  samaderine  contained  in 
them.  It  is  obtained  by  evaporating  the  aqueous  decoction  of 
the  bark  and  fruit  to  the  consistence  of  an  extract;  this  is  treat- 
ed repeatedly  with  small  quantities  of  alcohol,  by  which  means 
the  greatest  part  of  the  samaderine  is  left  behind.  It  may  be 
obtained  pure  by  solution  in  water  and  treatment  with  animal 
charcoal. 
Samaderine  is  of  a  brilliant  white  color,  laminarly  and  some- 
what plumosely  crystalline.    Its  taste  is  more  persistently  and 
