306  Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica.  \  '^"juS'^'iggf 
June,  1881. 
<Glucoside  froin  Ivy  Leaves. — The  leaves  of  Hedera  helix  contain, 
according  to  Vendamme  and  Chevalier  (1842),  an  alkaloid,  hederiyia, 
and,  according  to  Posselt  (1849),  a  peculiar  acid,  liederiG  acid,  and  a 
tannin,  hederotannic  acid.  F.  A.  Hardteii  (1875)  obtained  results 
indicating  the  probable  presence  of  a  glucoside.  According  to  L. 
Vernet,  the  glucoside  may  be  isolated  by  exhausting  the  bruised  leaves 
(collected  in  December)  with  hot  water,  and  subsequently  preparing 
an  alcoholic  extract,  which  is  powdered,  washed  with  cold  benzol,  and 
afterwards  treated  with  boiling  acetone,  from  which  the  glucoside 
crystallized  on  cooling,  requiring  washing  with  cold  acetone  and  crys- 
tallization from  alcohol  to  obtain  it  pure.  It  crystallizes  in  nodules 
of  colorless,  silky  needles,  neutral  to  test  paper,  melts  at  233°C., 
and  burns  without  leaving  any  residue.  It  is  insoluble  in  water,  chlo- 
roform and  petroleum,  dissolves  very  slightly  in  the  cold,  but  readily 
by  the  aid  of  heat,  in  acetone,  benzol  and  ether ;  its  best  solvent  is  hot 
90  per  cent,  alcohol ;  hot  alkalies  dissolve  it  readily.  Its  alcoholic 
solution  is  levogyre  — 47'5°.  Its  composition  is  Q^^^f}-^^.  When 
heated  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid  it  yields  a  very  sweet  right  rotating 
sugar,  which  reduces  Fehling's  solution,  but  does  not  ferment  with 
yeast ;  and  fine^  inodorous  and  tasteless  needles,  02^11^40,3,  which  melt 
near  280°C.,  are  less  soluble  in  alcohol  than  the  original  compound, 
insoluble  in  alkalies  and  have  a  right  rotation  to  polarized  light. — 
Rep.  de  Phar.,  March,  1881,  p.  106,  107, 
Cork  Tar. — According  to  L.  Bordet,  the  liquid  products  of  the  dry 
distillation  of  cork  separate  into  two  layers,  the  lighter  aqueous  one 
containing  acetic  acid  and  methylic  alcohol,  together  with  ammonia, 
hydrocyanic  acid,  the  higher  homologues  of  acetic;  acid,  including  pro- 
pionic acid  and  small  quantities  of  methylamina.  The  heavier  tar  is 
dark  brown,  rather  thin  and  of  a  more  aromatic  odor  than  coal  tar. 
By  distillation  it  yielded  27  per  cent,  of  light  oils,  27  per  cent,  of 
heavy  brown  oils,  11  per  cent,  of  green  fluorescing  oils  and  35  per 
cent,  of  hard  pitch.  The  less  volatile  portions  of  the  light  oils  yield 
much  naphthalin.  The  tar  contains  at  least  4  per  cent,  of  benzol 
and  3  per  cent,  of  toluol,  but  a  much  smaller  quantity  of  phenols 
than  coal  tar.  The  green  fluorescing  oil  contains  considerable  anthra- 
cene.—CA^'^vi.  Ztg.,  1881,  No.  16,  p.  269  ;  Compf.  Bend.,  92,  p.  728. 
Senega  Root. — H.  W.  Langbeck  noticed  the  odor  of  gaultheria  in  a 
senega  root  which  was  at  least  three  years  old.  Its  aqueous  distillate 
acquired  with  ferric  chloride  the  well-known  violet  color,  and  by 
