390  Fofensic-chemical  Determiudfion  of  Gchemine.  {^^^iy^^l;^l^t^'' 
those  from  the  watery  liquid  were  light  yellow-brown  fine  needle.^,, 
being  comb-like,  attached  to  a  larger  prismatic  crystal.  These  crystals- 
showed  all  the  reactions  of  sesculin  except  that  they  acquired  a  greenish 
culor  with  ferric  chloride,  due  probably  to  the  presence  of  sesculetin.. 
The  crystals  from  the  alcoholic  solution  emanated  from  a  central  point,, 
and  were  branching  in  a  tree-like  manner ;  in  the  deeper  part  of  the 
vessel  several  thornapple-like  aggregations  of  crystals  were  observed.. 
The  amount  obtained  from  50  grams  of  the  root  was  so  small  that 
accurate  investigations  could  not  be  made ;  moreover,  the  presence  of 
jesculin  seemed  to  interfere  with  the  reactions  of  this  substance. 
The  benzol  solution  yielded,  on  evaporation,  a  dark  brown,  resinous 
mass,  which  w^as  dissolved  in  dilute  sulphuric  acid  and  precipitated 
with  concentrated  soda  solution  ;  the  precipitate  collected,  w^ashed  and 
dried  formed  a  white  powder,  which  caked  together  in  boiling  water 
to  a  brown  mass,  and  showed  the  behavior  of  gelsemine.  The  filtrate; 
agitated  with  chloroform,  yielded  a  pale,  rose-colored  substance,  having 
the  same  behavior.    The  total  yield  weighed  between  0*2  and  O-o  gnu.. 
Another  experiment  made  with  the  powdered  root  proved  that  the 
acidulated  liquid  yields  to  amylic  alcohol  considerable  sesculetin,  recog- 
nizable by  the  dark  green  color  with  ferric  salts,  and  by  the  blue-green 
fluorescence  in  aqueous  solution,  which  is  destroyed  by  potassa.  The 
residue  also  gave  distinct  alkaloidal  reactions  with  bismuth-potassium; 
iodide,  picric  acid,  and  iodine. 
The  following  tests  were  made  with  fesculin  and  gesculetin,  not  with' 
the  similar  principle  obtained  from  gelsemium. 
To  the  well-known  reaction  of  sesculin  and  ^esculetin  must  be  added 
their  behavior  to  Langley-Koehler's  test,  which  is  very  similar  to  that 
of  picrotoxin,^  except  that  the  color  with  sesculin  is  deeper  brow^n,  and 
with  a?sculetin,  red-brown,  oEsculin  and  brucine  have  also  a  similar 
reaction,  namely,  to  chlorine  trater  (red  color).  Gold  chloride  is 
reduced  by  aesculin,  the  color  depending  on  the  concentration  and 
temperature  of  the  liquid;  it  yields,  w^ith  aqueous  solutions  of  sesculetiuy 
a  raspberry-red  color.  PoUissium  fcrridcyanide  does  not  alfect  aescu- 
lin,  but,  on  boiling,  colors  iesculetin  solutions  red-brown..  The  same 
reagent,  with  ferric  chloride,  gives  with  both  an  intense  green-blue 
^  Mix  powdered  picrotoxin  with  8  or  5  parts  of  pure  saltpetre  ;  add  1  or  2, 
drops  of  strong  sulphuric  acid  ;  mix,  and  add  rapidly  soda  solution  to  strong, 
alkaline  reaction,  when  the  mixture  becomes  transiently  brick-red. 
Editor. 
