352  YELLOW  COLORING  MATTER  OF  THE  AUTUMNAL  LEAVES. 
the  statement,  that  the  distillate  is  of  neutral  reaction,  color- 
less, of  a  radish-like  smell  and  acrid  taste,  no  volatile  oil  was  se- 
parated, subacetate  of  lead  produced  a  white  pulverulent  pre- 
cipitate, soluble  in  nitric  acid,  nitrate  of  silver  and  freshly  pre- 
cipitated oxide  of  lead,  no  alteration ;  the  distillate  is  free  of 
sulphur. 
The  author  obtained  some  granular  crystals  of  sweetish  bit- 
ter, acrid  taste,  which  he  supposes  to  be  saponin. 
1000  parts  of  the  recently  collected  root  contained  584  parts, 
water,  52  lignin,  272  starch,  and  yielded  to  ether  24  parts,  to 
alcohol  40  parts,  to  cold  water  28  parts. 
The  ethereal  tincture  contained  fixed  oil,  fermentable  sugar, 
saponin  and  the  acrid  volatile  principle  ;  in  the  alcoholic  tincture 
was  found  fermentable  sugar,  saponin,  resin ;  in  the  cold  aque- 
ous infusion,  mucilage,  gum,  albumen,  phosphate  of  lime. — 
Wittsteins  Viert.  Schrift.  viii.  27—31.  J.  M.  M. 
ON  THE  YELLOW  COLORING  MATTER  OF  THE  AUTUMNAL 
LEAVES. 
By  A.  Ferrein. 
The  author,  after  reviewing  the  investigations  of  Macaire- 
Prinsep  and  Berzelius,  proceeds  with  his  experiments  made  with 
leaves  of  a  purely  yellow  color,  collected  from  Ulmus  campes- 
tris.  If  lb  of  the  powdered  dried  leaves  were  exhausted  with 
90  per  cent,  alcohol,  filtered,  the  greater  part  of  the  alcohol 
distilled  off  and  evaporated  to  about  6  oz.  This  residue  was  a 
thin  liquid,  of  a  blackish  brown  color  and  a  characteristic 
smell  of  fresh  bread.  After  standing,  the  resinous  and  waxy  mat- 
ters were  separated  by  filtration  and  washed  with  warm  water. 
The  liquid  now  had  a  bitter  astringent  taste  and  acid  re-action. 
By  dilution  with  water  all  the  resinous  and  waxy  matters  were 
separated,  and  the  filtrate  now  had  a  yellowish-brown  color.  It 
was  precipitated  by  sugar  of  lead,  a  part  of  the  precipitate  de- 
composed by  hydrosulphuric  acid.  The  solution  had  an  insipid 
acidulous  taste,  perceptibly  astringent,  and  reddened  litmus. 
Solution  of  glue  did  not  precipitate  it,  but  softened  ichthyocolla 
rendered  it  colorless  and  tasteless  and  without  action  on  lit- 
