544    Important  Constituents  of  Taraxacum  Root.    { ^JocJtoberPi897m' 
dized  evaporate  were  unsuccessful.  To  decide  whether  these 
crystals  or  the  oily  globules  were  the  bitter  principle,  or  whether 
the  one  was  derived  from  the  other,  was  little  more  than  a  con- 
jecture. Slow  evaporations  of  chloroformic,  ethereal,  alcoholic  and 
aqueous  solutions  failed  to  produce  crystals  free  from  oleoresinous 
globules.  Evaporation  of  aqueous  solution  in  vacuo  was  no  more 
successful. 
The  work  was  begun  this  year  by  making  an  ultimate  analysis 
of  taraxacerin.  Slowly  evaporating  its  impure  alcoholic  solution, 
the  cauliflower-like  crystals  separated  as  stated  in  paper  of  last  year. 
The  taraxacerin  thus  freed  from  extraneous  matter  was  collected, 
dried  over  sulphuric  acid,  and  a  number  of  combustions  made. 
The  result  of  these  combustions  will  be  subjoined  to  this  paper. 
A  quantitative  analysis  of  the  inorganic  constituents  of  taraxacum 
root  will  also  be  appended. 
For  the  further  investigation  of  the  bitter  principle  an  extraction 
of  taraxacum  root  was  made  for  me  by  J.  U.  Lloyd,  as  follows : 
Forty  pounds  of  the  powdered  root  were  percolated  with  chloro- 
form, and  the  dregs  were  then  exhausted  with  alcohol.  The  chloro- 
formic and  alcoholic  tinctures  were  separately  distilled,  leaving 
behind  in  each  case  a  residue  of  thick,  syrupy  consistence.  These 
syrupy  extractives  were  used  as  a  starting  point  for  the  further 
investigation  of  taraxacin  and  other  constituents. 
Taraxacin,  Bitter  Principle. — Further  efforts  have  been  made  to 
bring  the  bitter  principle  to  the  crystalline  form.  Thus  far  these 
efforts  have  been  only  partially  successful ;  a  detailed  description  of 
this  work  is  unnecessary.  Suffice  it  to  say  for  the  present,  acetone 
as  a  solvent  seems  to  promise  some  aid  in  its  isolation.  An  acetone 
solution  of  the  yellowish,  amorphous,  viscid  and  extremely  bitter 
extractive  (corresponding  to  crude  taraxacin)  was  made.  On  slowly 
evaporating  this  solution,  a  thin,  syrupy,  transparent  film  was  left 
which  contained  imperfectly  formed  stellar  crystals — tufts  imbedded 
in  viscid  media.  On  adding  a  drop  of  water,  the  film  and  crystals 
immediately  broke  down  into  yellowish  oleoresinous-like  globules. 
The  most  satisfactory  method  thus  far  employed  for  purifying  this 
principle  is  to  dissolve  the  crude  principle  (extractive)  in  20  per 
cent,  alcohol ;  treat  this  with  specially  purified  animal  charcoal  until 
the  solution  loses  its  bitterness ;  carefully  wash  the  carbon  with 
water  ;  dry,  and  treat  it  with  boiling  alcohol ;  evaporate  the  alcoholic 
