358 
Coca  Grown  in  India. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1889. 
ERYTHROXYLON  COCA  GROWN  IN  INDIA.1 
By  C.  J.  H.  Waeden. 
Several  samples  of  Eryihroxylon  Coca  leaves,  grown  in  various  dis- 
tricts in  India,  have  been  examined  by  the  author  ;  the  mode  of  cul- 
ture, altitude,  and  meteorological  characters  of  the  district,  the  kind  of 
soil  and  manuring,  and  the  methods  of  curing,  being  taken  into  con- 
sideration. The  alkaloid  was  estimated  by  Squibb's  modified  method  : 
— the  dry  pulverized  leaves  were  moistened  with  alcohol  acidified 
with  sulphuric  acid,  percolated  with  alcohol,  the  percolate  mixed  with 
acidified  water,  and  extracted  with  ether,  then  rendered  alkaline  with 
sodium  carbonate,  and  again  extracted  with  ether.  This  extract  was 
washed  twice  with  water,  dried  and  weighed ;  the  amounts  of  "  crude 
alkaloid"  so  determined  are  given  in  the  following  table: — 
Per  cent,  dry  leaves. 
District  where  grown. 
Moisture. 
Ash. 
Crude  alkaloid. 
6-18 
6-7  L 
1-139 
"      mature  leaves  
8-22 
8-99 
0-883 
608 
7-39 
1369 
«  « 
6  72 
636 
1-671 
10-37 
7-58 
1115 
10-42 
1023 
0358 
Matelli  
9-30 
12-18 
1-022 
Jaunpore   
5-71 
7-62 
0-610 
10-05 
12-64 
0-571 
The  crude  alkaloid  was  very  faintly  yellow,  and  in  no  case  showed 
any  tendency  to  crystallization,  although  attempts  were  made  to  in- 
duce crystallization  by  extracting  at  various  temperatures,  and  with- 
out applying  heat,  and  by  employing  different  acids  and  solvents.  The 
alkaloid  obtained  is,  nevertheless,  quite  similar  to  cocaine  from  other 
sources  in  its  physiological  action,  except  that  it  seems  to  be  more  ac- 
tive. It  dissolves  readily  in  hydrochloric  acid,  and  yields  a  soluble 
and  insoluble  platinochloride,  the  former  containing  18*75,  the  latter 
18  "88  per  cent,  of  platinum;  discrepancies  from  the  theoretical  are  as- 
sumed to  be  due  to  a  variable  quantity  of  cocamine  (Hesse,  Am. 
jour.  Phar.,  1887,  p.  455)  in  the  alkaloid  from  Indian  leaves.  Both 
lChem.  News,  lviii.,  249-251,  260-262,  273-276;  reprinted  from  Jour.  Chem. 
Soc-,  March,  1889. 
