Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
July,  1882.  / 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica. 
369 
with  boiling  alcohol,  upon  cooling,  crystals  of  an  alcohol-like  sub- 
stance are  obtained  which  has  been  named  quebrachol;  it  is  Isevogyre, 
melts  at  125°C.  and  has  the  formula  C20H34O. — Phar.  Jour,  and 
Trans. J  March  25,  1882,  p.  781-785  ;  from  Ann.  d.  Chemie,  ccxi. 
Loxopterygium  Lorentzii,  Grisebach,  nat.  ord.  Terebinthacese.  The 
l)ark  of  quebracho  Colorado  contains  a  considerable  amount  of  tannin, 
and  is  used  in  its  native  country  for  tanning  purposes.  The  wood,  as 
its  name  implies,  is  of  a  red  color  and  is  used  in  the  preparation  of  an 
•extract.  O.  Hesse  found  in  the  wood  minute  quantities  of  two  alka- 
loids which  may  be  obtained  together  by  the  process  for  preparing  the 
alkaloids  from  white  quebracho.  One  of  the  alkaloids  is  precipitated 
from  the  acetic  acid  solution  by  potassium  sulphocyanide,  and,  after 
<iecomposition  by  soda  and  agitation  with  ether,  acquires  with  dilute 
sulphuric  acid  a  magnificent  blue  color,  which  is  evidently  due  to  a 
body  produced  by  oxidation. 
The  second  alkaloid,  loxopte7'ygine,  may  be  precipitated  by  ammonia, 
is  in  white  amorphous  flocks,  freely  soluble  in  ether,  alcohol,  chloro- 
form, benzol  and  acetone,  has  a  strong  basic  reaction,  tastes  intensely 
bitter^  is  not  colored  by  ferric  chloride  and  dissolves  in  nitric  acid  with 
a  blood-red  color.  The  solution  in  sulphuric  acid  is  yellowish,  and  in 
the  presence  of  molybdic  acid  or  potassium  bichromate  blue  or  violet. 
The  solution  in  perchloric  acid,  upon  warming,  becomes  brown-red. 
The  alkaloid  melts  at  81  °C.,  and  quickly  decomposes  at  a  higher  tem- 
perature. Its  composition  is  probably  C26H34N2O2.  From  6  kilograms 
of  the  wood  only  about  0*5  gm.  of  the  alkaloid  could  be  obtained. 
Dr.  Hesse  calls  attention  to  the  chemical  relation  of  the  alkaloids 
contained  in  quebracho  bianco,  and  that  nearly  related  thereto  are  the 
alkaloids  paytine  and  paytamine  which  more  than  ten  years  previously 
were  obtained  by  him  from  a  bark  then  unknown,  but  since  recognized 
as  from  a  species  of  Aspidosperma.  The  close  relationship  of  this 
genus  to  Strychnos  explains  why  the  Aspidosperma  bases  present  in 
their  reactions  a  certain  similarity  to  the  Strychnos  bases,  likewise  in 
their  physiological  action,  although  the  former  are  less  powerful  in 
their  action  than  the  latter,  especially  curarine.  A  certain  degree  of 
oaution  in  the  use  of  these  bases  is  undoubtedly  required.  For  the 
mixed  alkaloids  the  designation  quebrachetum  is  proposed,  in  analogy 
to  "quinetum,'^  used  for  the  mixed  cinchona  alkaloids. — Phar.  Jour, 
and  Trans.,  April  1,  p.  807-809 ;  from  Ann.  d.  Chem.,  ccxi. 
Rhubarb  cultivated  at  St.  Petersburg  has  been  assayed  by  F.  Beil- 
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