164 
ON  CAPSICUM  ANNUUM. 
strate  that  the  pungency  really  is  not  due  to  the  oil,  of  which  I 
have  expressed  my  doubts. 
This  oil  unites  with  alkalies  and  alkaline  carbonates  to  form 
soap,  and  is  lighter  than  water. 
3d.  A  small  quantity  of  it  was  placed  in  a  retort,  connected 
with  a  receiver,  (kept  cold  by  snow,)  and  heat  gradually  applied 
until  fumes  commenced  to  arise,  when  it  was  removed  until  they 
subsided,  and  then  again  applied.  The  vapors  continued  to  arise 
and  pass  over  without  being  condensed. 
More  heat  was  brought  to  bear,  until  it  commenced  to  blacken 
and  an  empyreumatic  odor  was  given  off.  The  retort  was  discon- 
nected, and  the  remaining  black  oil,  on  examination,  was  found  to 
be  destitute  of  pungency,  but  had  an  acid,  empyreumatic  taste, 
giving  a  decided  acid  reaction  with  litmus  paper.  The  receiver 
was  again  connected,  and  the  oil  subjected  to  a  high  degree  of 
temperature,  when  acrolein  distilled  over,  proving  the  presence 
of  glycerin  and  the  fact  of  its  being  a  fixed  oil.  This  experi- 
ment proved,  also,  that  the  acrid  fumes  (so  well  known  when 
capsicum  is  heated)  cannot  be  obtained  by  distillation,  as  they 
cannot  be  condensed  at  the  ordinary  pressure  of  the  atmos- 
phere. 
4th.  The  dregs  from  the  ethereal  menstruum  were  dried,  again 
packed  in  a  percolator,  and  treated  with  alcohol,  sp.  gr.  *835, 
until  no  longer  possessed  of  color  or  taste. 
This  was  evaporated  to  a  soft  extract,  and  found  to  weigh  295 
grains,  which  had  the  pungent  taste  of  the  drug  to  a  marked 
extent.  When  treated  with  ether,  this  quality  was  extracted 
almost  entirely,  leaving  a  dark-brown  extractive,  slightly  soluble 
in  water  and  chloroform,  quite  soluble  in  alcohol,  but  insoluble 
in  ether  and  benzine.  Saponifiable  with  soda  and  potassa,  and 
precipitated  from  its  solution  by  solution  of  subacetate  of  lead. 
5th.  A  fresh  quantity  of  capsicum  was  treated  with  benzine, 
(which  proved  to  be  an  excellent  solvent,)  the  benzine  allowed 
to  evaporate  spontaneously.  When  nearly  all  had  passed  off, 
and  the  liquid  became  of  a  syrupy  consistence,  a  crystalline 
substance  began  to  deposit,  of  a  dark  reddish- brown  color,  sur- 
rounded by  a  mother-liquid  of  the  same  color.  This  was  at  first 
thought  to  be  the  true  capsicin,  obtained  without  any  chemical 
