I 
^™  Nov '1881'°''}         ^''^^^^     'Sttmbucus  Canadensis.  553 
THE  FRUIT  OF  SAMBUCUS  CANADENSIS. 
By  John  Benjamin  Metzger,  Ph.G. 
F7'om  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
1.  Treatment  with  Alcohol. — 425  grams  of  the  fruit  were  reduced  to 
a  fine  powder,  packed  in  a  conical  percolator  and  exhausted  with 
alcohol,  most  of  which  was  recovered  by  distillation ;  the  concentrated 
tincture  was  precipitated  with  3  pints  of  distilled  water,  acidulated 
with  1  ounce  of  acetic  acid ;  the  precipitate  was  collected  on  a  filter,, 
washed,  dissolved  in  hydrate  of  potassium  and  reprecipitated  by  dilute 
sulphuric  acid.  A  dark  brown  fatty  resin  was  obtained,  which,  when 
washed  and  dried,  weighed  3' 2  grams,  was  soluble  in  ether,  chloroform^ 
alcohol  and  ammonia,  and  insoluble  in  benzin. 
The  filtrate  from  the  first  precipitate  was  evaporated  over  a  sand- 
bath  to  the  consistence  of  a  syrup  ;  to  a  small  portion  of  this  liquid  an 
aqueous  solution  of  iodine  and  iodide  of  potassium  was  added,  which 
caused  a  dark  brown  precipitate,  and  iodo-hydrargyrate  of  potassium 
added  to  another  portion  of  the  liquid  gave  a  light  brown  precipitate. 
To  the  remainder  of  the  liquid  a  solution  of  acetate  of  lead  was  added 
as  long  as  a  precipitate  was  produced,  then  filtered,  the  precipitate 
washed  with  distilled  water  and  set  aside  as  precipitate  No.  1.  Solu- 
tion of  subacetate  of  lead  was  added  to  the  filtrate,  the  precipitate 
washed  Avith  distilled  water  and  set  aside  as  precipitate  No.  2.  The 
filtrate  was  freed  from  lead  by  passing  sulphuretted  hydrogen  ga& 
into  it,  filtered  and  then  boiled  to  drive  off  the  excess  of  sulphuretted 
hydrogen.  Upon  adding  some  of  this  liquid  to  a  boiling  solution  of 
Trommer's  test  a  precipitate  of  red  cuprous  oxide  formed,  showing 
the  presence  of  sugar;  the  liquid  was  also  tested  for  alkaloids  with 
iodo-hydrargyrate  of  potassium  and  a  solution  of  iodine  and  iodide  of 
potassium,  without  any  results.  The  liquid  was  allowed  to  stand  for 
four  days;  no  crystals  were  deposited.  Precipitate  No.  1  was  sus- 
pended in  water,  and  the  lead  removed  by  passing  sulphuretted  hydro- 
gen gas  in  the  solution  and  filtering.  After  evaporating  to  a  thin 
syrup,  this  solution  formed  a  bluish-black  precipitate  on  the  addition 
of  ferric  chloride, and  a  white  flocculent  precipitate  with  gelatin,  indi- 
cating the  presence  of  tannin.  Precipitate  No.  2  was  treated  in  the 
same  manner,  and  with  the  same  results  as  with  precipitate  No.  1. 
2.  Treatme7it  with  Benzin. — 425  grams  of  the  fruit,  finely  powdered, 
were  exhausted  with  benzin  and  the  solution  evaporated  spontaneously. 
