Am  Jour.Pnarm.  \ 
Aug.,  1881.  J 
Aspidmm  Rlgidum. 
391 
brown-yellow  color.  It  was  insoluble  in  water,  sparingly  soluble  in 
aqueous  alcohol,  soluble  in  boiling  absolute  alcohol,  in  fixed  oils,  and 
very  soluble  in  sulphide  of  carbon  and  volatile  oils.  It  is  probably 
identical  with  Luck's  filicic  acid. 
Treatment  tvith  Alcohol. — The  drug,  exhausted  with  ether  and  dried, 
was  next  macerated  and  percolated  with  alcohol.  The  alcoholic  per- 
colate was  of  a  reddish-brown  color,  and  had  an  acid  reaction.  The 
greater  portion  of  the  alcohol  was  distilled  off,  and  the  residue  evap-  i 
orated  over  a  water  bath  to  the  consistence  of  lioney.  The  liquid 
obtained  was  transparent,  of  a  reddisli  color,  and  liad  a  sweet  and 
strongly  astringent  taste.  An  endeavor  was  made  to  crystallize  cane- 
sugar  from  the  solution,  but  was  unsuccessful.  The  syrupy  liquid  was 
dissolved  in  water,  filtered,  and  a  portion  of  the  filtrate  treated  with  a 
dilute  solution  of  gelatin,  which  gave  a  milky  precipitate ;  another 
•  portion  gave  a  greenish-black  precipitate  with  ferric  chloride.  The 
.remainder  of  the  solution  was  precipitated  by  acetate  of  lead,  and  fil- 
tered, the  excess  of  lead  removed  by  H2S,  and  the  filtrate  tested  for 
glucose  by  Fehling's  solution,  a  brick-red  precipitate  of  cuprous  oxide 
indicating  its  presence.  The  precipitates  by  ferric  chloride  and  by 
gelatin  denote  the  presence  of  tannin. 
Treatment  ivith  Cold  Water. — The  drug,  after  having  been  treated 
Avith  ether  and  alcohol,  was  dried  and  macerated  with  water  for  sev- 
eral days,  and  strained.  A  turbid  liquid,  having  a  slight  acid  reac- 
tion, was  obtained.  On  boiling,  filtering,  concentrating  and  adding 
alcohol,  a  floccnlent  precipitate  of  gum  separated,  which  was  soluble  in 
water,  and  was  precipitated  from  the  aqueous  solution  by  acetate  and 
subacetate  of  lead. 
Treatment  loith  Boiling  Water.  —  The  drug,  after  having  been 
exhausted  with  cold  water,  was  next  treated  with  boiling  water.  The- 
liquid,  strained  and  evaporated  to  a  low  balk,  deposited  on  cooling  a 
brown  jelly-like  substance,  which  was  insoluble  in  cold  water,  and  is 
probably  pectin.  A  portion  treated  with  iodine  gave  a  distinct  blue 
color,  showing  the  presence  of  starcli. 
The  constituents,  the  ])resence  of  which  was  ascertained,  are  resin,. 
•  filicic  acid,  fat,  tannin,  glucose,  gum,  pectin  and  starch. 
