Am  Jour.^rharui.j     Examuiatioii  of  Fxtradum  Glycyrrhizce.  '  7 
EXAMINATION  OF  EXTEACTUM  GLYCYKRHIZ.E.* 
By  H.  p.  Madsen. 
The  author  has  examined  a  sample  of  licorice,  A,  made  at  Meqiii- 
neiiza,  Spain,  which  had  a  very  agreeable  sweet  taste;  also  six  samples, 
bearing  the  mark  '"Baracco,"  B  to  6r,  and  a  sample,  //,  prepared  by 
Mr.  Piper  from  licorice  root  with  cold  water.  Determinations  were 
made  of  the  amount  of  moisture,  ash  and  matter  insoluble  in  cold 
water.  The  aqueous  solution  was  evaporated  to  ten  times  the  weight 
of  the  licorice  en^ployed  and  precipitated  by  four  times  its  volume  of 
alcohol,  spec.  grav.  '830;  the  ])recipitates  were  reddish-brown,  except 
jD,  which  was  very  dark,  and  A  and  H,  which  were  of  a  dark  Madeira 
color.  The  sugar  was  determined  by  boiling  with  BarreswilFs  liquid 
(prepared  with  34*639  grams  crystallized  cupric  sulphate,  200  cc.  dis- 
tilled water,  100  grams  glycerin,  488  cc.  soda  solution  and  distilled 
water  sufficient  for  1  liter),  filtering  quickly,  washing  with  boiling 
water  and  calcining  the  precipitate. 
The  amount  of  gum  was  determined  as  follows:  10  gram  of  the 
extract  were  exhausted  with  cold  water,  the  solution  was  evaporated  to 
100  grams,  completely  precipitated  by  alcohol,  the  precipitate  washed 
with  alcohol,  to  remove  sugar,  then  dissolved  in  as  little  water  as  pos- 
sible, and  precipitated  with  cupric  sulphate  and  soda;  the  albuminates 
and  coloring  matter  were  removed  by  washing  with  strong  and  after- 
wards with  dilute  soda  solution;  the  precipitate  was  redissolved  in 
dilute  hydrochloric  acid  and  tbe  arabin  precipitated  by  alcohol.  The 
identity  of  this  precipitate  with  arabin  was  proven  by  the  appearance 
and  behavior  as  compared  with  arabin  prepared  from  four  samj)les  of 
gum  arabic. 
The  results  obtained  are  tabulated  as  follows: 
Percentages  of 
Iiesidno 
Kxtnut 
<ainiiIoK. 
.Mdisture. 
iiisolulile 
Dry 
j)re«-iiiit;ite<l 
Ash. 
Sugar. 
Arnbin. 
ill  wiiter. 
Kxtiact. 
l)y  alcohol. 
A 
16-50 
17-95 
65-55 
31-00 
12-41 
14-48 
3-32 
B 
15-00 
25-40 
59-60 
33-10 
9-13 
15-17 
4-36 
C 
12-60 
25-15 
62-25 
30^0 
6-26 
15-11 
2-43 
D 
14-35 
21-10 
64*55 
26-65 
6-60 
11-09 
1-52 
E 
14-50 
34-50 
51-00 
45-60 
()-06 
10-09 
10-49 
F 
11-45 
26-95 
()l-60 
43-00 
14-23 
10-82 
9-13 
G 
10-50 
37-50 
52-00 
30-50 
6-34 
7-33 
8-39 
H 
31-56 
traces 
()8-44 
19-00 
7-27  ■ 
12-84 
1-19 
*  Abstract  from  a  i)tun})hlet  comnuuiicated  by  tlie  author,  entitled  "In- 
vestigations on  Sncciis  ( ilycyrrhi/je,  i)articularly  as  regards  tlie  amount 
of  gum  contained."  Wy  JI.  P.  Madsen,  Vice  l*resideut  of  the  Danish 
{^oeiet  y  of  A })otheearies.    Copenliagen,  1881. 
