ON  MELAMPYRIT. 
365 
American  grape  brandy,  if  so  manufactured,  is  equal  to 
French  grape  brandy  when  of  equal  manufacture  and  age,  pos- 
sessing the  same  grape  oil, — a  produce  of  fermentation,  which 
forms  by  slow  chemical  process,  cenanthic  ether,  which  must  be 
present  in  old  grape  brandy,  and  in  which  consists  the  great 
value  of  this  brandy. 
Imitations  of  Catawba  brandy  are  frequently  offered  for  sale, 
a  product  of  diluted  alcohol,  essential  oil  made  from  the  pumice 
of  the  Catawba  grape,  and  coloring  matter.  Such  an  article 
can  be  very  easily  discovered  by  separating  the  corn-fusel  oil 
from  the  alcohol  by  chemical  reagents. 
The  undersigned,  therefore,  is  firmly  convinced  that  Ameri- 
can grape  brandy,  if  manufactured  as  stated,  and  allowed  to 
grow  old  enough,  can  fully  be  substituted  in  the  American 
Pharmacopoeia  for  the  "  Spiritm  Vini  Gallici." 
If  your  honorable  body  takes  an  interest  in  these  facts,  the 
undersigned  would  feel  highly  obliged  if  his  views  would  be  com- 
municated to  all  local  Pharmaceutical  Associations. 
Restpectfully,  John  Zimmerman. 
Journ.  and  Trans,  Md.  Journ.  Pharm. 
ON  MELAMPYKIT. 
By  Wm  Eichler. 
In  1835,  Hun ef eld  discovered  this  saccharine  substance  in  the 
herb  of  Melampyrum  nemorosum,  L.  scrophularinece.  Its  chemi- 
cal properties  have  never  been  investigated. 
In  order  to  obtain  also  the  succinic  acid,  which  occurs  in  con- 
siderable quantity  in  this  herb,  the  author  boiled  the  cut  herb 
with  water  in  a  barrel  by  means  of  steam,  added  milk  of  lime  to 
the  expressed  liquor  until  it  showed  a  slight  alkaline  reaction, 
evaporated  considerably,  filtered  and  washed  the  residue  with 
hot  water  ;  the  filtrate  was  decomposed  with  muriatic  acid  and 
evaporated,  when,  on  cooling,  it  yielded  melampyrin.  To  the 
lime  residue  suspended  in  water,  muriatic  acid  was  added  to  a 
slight  acid  reaction,  boiled  and  filtered,  the  residue  was  succinate 
of  lime,  and  the  filtrate  yielded  some  more  on  neutralization 
with  ammonia  and  evaporation.  The  dried  salt  was  mixed  with 
60  per  ct.  monohydrate  of  sulphuric  acid  and  10  per  ct.  nitric 
