Am.  Jonr.  Pharm. ) 
June,  1882.  j 
The  Bark  of  Fraxinus  Americana. 
283 
grains  of  the  powdered  bark  were  exhausted  by  percolation,  and  the 
resulting  liquor  evaporated  in  a  water-bath  ;  the  yield  was  as  follows  : 
1.  Menstruum:  strong  alcohol,     .         .         yield:  22-4  per  ct.  extract. 
2.  alcohol  4  parts,  water  1  part,  "  26'2 
3.  "  alcohol  4  parts,  water  2  parts,  "  28*2 
4.  "  alcohol  4  parts,  water  3  parts,  "  29-0 
5.  "  alcohol  4  parts,  water  4  parts,  "  31'6 
6.  "  alcohol  3  parts,  water  4  parts,  "  31  "6 
7.  "  alcohol  2  parts,  water  4  parts,  "  31'6 
8.  "  alcohol  1  part,  water  4  parts,  "  31*8 
9.  "  water  (percolate  turbid),  "  28-8 
All  the  extracts  had  a  bitter  taste,  and  the  bitter  principle  is  there- 
fore soluble  both  in  alcohol  and  water.  The  alcoholic  extracts  were 
soluble  in  water,  leaving  no  perceptible  residue,  but  yielding  a  slightly 
cloudy  solution  from  suspended  resin. 
The  bark  exhausted  with  ether,  and  the  ether  evaporated  spantane- 
ously,  yielded  a  fatty  matter  lighter  than  water,  and  having  a  green 
tint,  which  changed  to  a  yellow-red  color  on  heating  to  the  boiling 
point. 
On  distilling  the  bark  with  water  a  minute  quantity  of  volatile  oil 
and  a  white  substance  was  obtained,  the  latter  subsiding  in  the  distil- 
late. The  bark  was  also  found  to  contain  starch,  gum,  tannin  and  a 
bitter  principle. 
Howard  M.  Edwards,  Ph.G.,  examined  a  sediment  from  the  wine 
of  white  ash  bark,  and  found  in  it  an  acid  and  a  neutral  resin,  sugar,, 
gum  and  other  matters. 
In  analyzing  the  bark,  the  powder  was  exhausted  wntli  a  weak  alco- 
hol of  15  per  cent.,  the  liquid  was  evaporated  to  a  syrupy  consistence 
and  mixed  with  alcohol,  which  produced  a  light-red  precipitate  of 
gummy  matter  having  a  sweetish  imd  slightly  pungent  taste,  the  pun- 
gency being  probably  due  to  a  little  resin.  The  iiltrate  was  concen- 
trated and  precipitated  by  water,  a  pungent  resin  having  an  a(;id  reac- 
tion, separating,  while  the  filtrate  gave  decided  indications  of  the  pre- 
sence of  an  alkaloid  both  by  Mayer's  test  and  by  solution  of  iodine. 
This  last  filtrate  was  precipitated  by  subacetate  of  lead,  a  thick  yellow 
precipitate  being  obtained,  and  the  filtrate  after  having  been  freed 
from  lead  by  sulphurett(Hl  hydrogen,  yielded  precipitates  with  tannin 
picric  acid  and  ammonia.  After  adding  ammonia,  the  liquid  was 
shaken  with  ether,  which  dissolved  the  precipitate,  leaving  the  animo- 
niacal  solution  slightly  red.    The  etherial  liquid,  on  being  evaporated. 
