Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
October,  1897.  J 
Aralia  Nudicaulis. 
539 
picric  acid,  platinic  chloride,  sodium  phospho-molydate,  and  Mayer's 
reagent,  gave  no  precipitate.  All  the  tests  were  repeatedly  verified 
by  using  larger  quantities  of  acidulous  solutions. 
For  the  further  determination  of  important  constituents,  together 
with  alkaloids  and  glucosides,  the  following  experiments  were 
made : 
Large  samples  of  the  finely  ground  rhizome  of  the  plant,  gathered 
both  in  spring  and  fall,  were  digested  in  benzene  for  three  days. 
After  filtering  and  evaporating  to  dryness,  a  yellowish-brown,  resin- 
ous mass  was  obtained.  This  residue  was  treated  with  warm  water, 
filtered  and  tested  for  alkaloids,  glucosides  and  organic  acids.  The 
still  insoluble  residue  was  treated  with  acidulous  water,  and  this 
acidulous  liquid  tested  like  the  preceding  one.  The  reagents 
applied  were  salts  of  lead  and  calcium,  tannic  acid,  Wagner's 
reagent,  platinic  chloride,  gelatin  solution,  and  Fehling's  solution. 
No  reaction  was  obtained,  except  a  slight  change  of  color  in 
Fehling's  solution.  To  still  further  verify  the  above  results  and 
avoid  the  uncertain  action  of  water  upon  the  resinous  matter,  which 
became  soft  with  heating,  another  benzene  extract  was  made  and 
treated  directly  with  water  and  then  with  acidulated  water.  These 
aqueous  solutions  caused  no  new  changes,  the  color  of  Fehling's 
solution  alone  being  affected. 
Tests  for  tannin  were  then  made.  A  finely  ground  sample  of  the 
drug  was  digested  with  a  good  grade  of  absolute- alcohol  and  the 
liquid  filtered.  This  alcoholic  liquid  caused  a  slight  reduction  of 
Fehling's  solution,  and  likewise  precipitated  a  solution  of  gelatine, 
starch  paste,  and  antimony  and  potassium  tartrate.  A  solution  of 
potassium  hydrate  was  darkened,  a  solution  of  potassium  perman- 
ganate reduced  in  about  two  minutes,  solution  of  silver  nitrate 
reduced,  and  a  solution  of  ferric  chloride  rendered  green.  Confirma- 
tory tests  were  made  on  two  additional  samples  of  the  drug,  in  both 
cases  with  the  same  result.  The  same  reagents  were  also  applied  to 
the  alcohol  alone,  used  for  digesting,  without  showing  any  reaction. 
The  presence  of  a  small  percentage  of  tannin  was  therefore 
determined. 
The  residue  of  the  drug  left  in  the  experiment  mentioned  above, 
after  treating  the  Aralia  with  absolute  alcohol,  was  washed  thor- 
oughly with  more  absolute  alcohol,  dried,  and  then  digested  twenty- 
four  hours  in  cold  water.    The  aqueous  liquid  after  filtration  was  of 
