284 
Euonymus  atropurpureus. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharra. 
June,  1889. 
EUONYMUS  ATKOPURPUREUS. 
Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of 
Pharmacy.    No.  53. 
By  Frank  V.  Cassaday,  Ph.G. 
As  there  has  been  no  complete  analysis  made  of  the  root  bark  of 
Wahoo,  the  following  investigation  was  undertaken  with  a  view  of 
determining  all  the  important  constituents,  and  adding,  at  the  same 
time,  to  what  is  already  known  about  the  active  principles. 
The  analysis  of  Clothier  (Am.  Jour.  Pharmacy,  Nov.,  1861), 
showed  the  presence  of  sugar,  starch,  etc.,  and,  by  agitating  the  tincture 
with  chloroform,  "  yellow  crystals,"  which  were  very  bitter,  soluble  in 
chloroform  and  boiling  alcohol,  and  of  a  neutral  reaction,  were  ob- 
tained. These  results  were  in  part  confirmed  by  Wenzell  (Am.  Jour. 
Pharmacy,  Sept.,  1862),  and  he  added  euonic  acid  to  the  list  of  con- 
stituents, although  he  did  not  find  the  euonymin  of  Clothier  to  be 
crystalline.  Miller  (Am.  Jour.  Pharmacy,  Sept.,  1878)  added  a 
volatile  oil  to  the  list,  and  with  a  larger  quantity  of  the  euonymin  de- 
termined it  to  be  uncrystalline. 
By  my  method  of  procedure  the  drug  was  exhausted  by  cold  mace- 
ration with  petroleum  ether,  which  yielded  0*06  per  cent,  of  volatile 
oil  and  1*24  per  cent,  of  a  wax-like  body  melting  at  42°  C,  spar- 
ingly soluble  in  absolute  alcohol,  less  so  in  95  per  cent,  alcohol,  but 
freely  soluble  in  ether  and  chloroform. 
The  drug  then  yielded  to  stronger  ether  a  dark-brown  substance 
representing  1*5  per  cent.  This  residue  was  partly  soluble  in  water, 
the  solution  having  an  acid  reaction.  This  aqueous  solution  was 
warmed  with  barium  carbonate  until  the  evolution  of  C02  ceased, 
filtered  and  the  filtrate  slowly  evaporated  over  sulphuric  acid,  but  no 
crystals  formed.  On  redissolving,  treating  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid 
until  all  the  barium  precipitated,  and  agitating  with  ether,  crystals 
were  obtained  from  the  ethereal  solution.  These  crystals  were  found 
to  be  strongly  acid  with  a  sour  astringent  taste.  They  gave  no  peculiar 
reactions  with  a  number  of  reagents  tried,  but  from  their  general  char- 
acters were  undoubtedly  the  euonic  acid  of  Wenzell. 
Tests  on  the  ethereal  extract  for  glucosides,  alkaloids,  gallic  and 
tannic  acids  gave  negative  results.  The  resin,  after  separation  of 
euonic  acid  was  found  to  be  sparingly  soluble  in  95  per  cent,  and  ab- 
solute alcohol,  soluble  in  aqueous  solution  of  sodium  hydrate,  from 
which  it  was  precipitated  on  the  addition  of  an  acid. 
