434 
Arallff  Sphiosn. 
f  Am  Jour.  Pharni. 
■(      Sept.,  1882. 
thev  are  freely  soluble  In  ether  and  alcoh(3],  Ics.s  so  in  water,  and  are 
entirely  volatilized  at  a  red  heat. 
The  acrid  principle  is  a  resin,  which  I  obtained  in  the  form  of  a 
gray  powder,  possessing  a  strong  and  persistently  acrid  taste,  insoluble 
in  ether,  soluble  in  alcohol.  It  is  the  resin  remaining  after  treating 
AV'ith  stronger  ether,  the  i*esinous  precipitate  yielded  by  the  alcoholic 
extract  in  water. 
The  portion  (^f  this  resinous  precipitate  which  Avas  soluble  in  ether 
consisted  of  a  tasteless  resin  and  much  green  coloring  matter,  undoubt- 
edly chlorophyll. 
In  distilling  for  volatile  oil,  preparing  decoctions,  infusions,  etc., 
much  trouble  was  experienced  through  the  formation  of  a  dense  and 
persistent  froth.  Steps  were  taken  to  separate  tins  saponaceous  principle 
with  the  result  of  obtaining  it  in  the  form  of  a  nearly  white  pawder, 
inodorous,  possessing  a  slightly  acrid  taste,  freely  soluble  in  water  and 
dilute  alcohol,  almost  insoluble  in  alcohol,  and  entirely  insoluble  in 
ether  and  chloroform.  A  process  by  which  it  was  isolated  is  as  follows: 
The  extract  procured  by  eva})orating  a  cold  infusion  was  treated  with 
stronger  ether  to  remove  the  bitter  principle,  and  the  residue  thoroughly 
washed  w  ith  dilute  alcohol  ;  this  solution  was  evaporated  to  an  extract 
and  dissolved  in  water.  The  aqueous  solution  yielded  with  a  solution 
of  lead  acetate  a  scanty  precipitate,  which  was  sej)arated  by  filtration. 
The  filtrate  gave  with  solution  of  subacetate  of  lead  a  coj)ious  precij)!- 
tate,  which  was  collected,  well  washed,  the  lead  removed  by  suspending 
in  watei",  and  passing  hydrosulphuric  acid  through  the  solution,  and  the 
filtrate  evaporated.  The  product  of  this  evaporation  proved  to  be  this 
saponin-like  substancj  ;  it  was  much  improved  in  color  by  dissolving 
ill  a  small  quantity  of  hot  alcohol,  from  which  it  reprecipitated  upon 
cooling,  the  alcohol  holding  much  of  the  coloring  matter  in  solution. 
This  ])rinciple  may  also  be  obtained  by  exhausting  the  ground  drug 
with  boiling  alcohol,  from  which  it  separates  upon  cooling.  On  boiling 
this  body  in  a  very  dilute  solution  of  hydrochloric  acid  it  proved  to 
be  a  gliicoskle,  yielding  glucose  and  an  insoluble  white  substance. 
To  this  principle  I  think  the  name  "araliin^'  could  be  very  j^roperly 
applied.  The  araliin  of  Holden  (''Am.  J.  Ph.,"  Aug.,  1880),  is  described 
as  "a  yellowish  substance  in  scale  foaming  excessively  upon  agitation" 
and  is  very  probably  this  substance  incorporated  with  some  foreign 
matter. 
The  alkaloid  announced  by  Elkin  (Am.  J.  Ph.,  Aug.,  1880)  as  existing 
