498  Active  Princijile  of  Adonis  Vernalis.  | 
Am.  Jour.  Pharni. 
Oct.,  1882. 
or  constituents  of  the  plant  to  whicli  the  action  is  due.  The  author, 
as  a  result  of  a  chemical  investigation  of  the  plant,  states  that  it 
contains  only  one  active  constituent,  a  glucoside,  which  he  has  named 
"adonidin." 
In  the  preparation  of  adonidin  the  plant  is  cut  into  small  pieces, 
which  are  macerated  during  two  days  in  dilute  (50  per  cent.)  alcohol ; 
the  liquid  is  filtered,  the  filtrate  treated  with  basic  acetate  of  lead, 
separated  from  the  resulting  precipitate  by  decantation  and  evaporated 
on  a  water-bath  to  a  syrupy  consistence.  The  residue,  w^hicli  is  very 
bitter  and  has  an  acid  reaction,  is  carefully  made  slightly  akaline  by 
the  addition  of  ammonia  solution,  and  then  heated  with  a  strong  solu- 
tion of  tannic  acid,  which  is  added  as  long  as  any  precipitate  is  formed. 
The  precipitate  is  a  compound  of  the  active  constituent  and  tannic  acid, 
difficidtly  soluble  in  water.  This  is  collected  on  a  filter,  washed  with 
a  small  quantity  of  water  and  dried  between  paper.  To  decompose 
this  tannic  acid  compound  zinc  oxide  and  some  alcohol  are  added  and 
the  whole  is  heated  in  a  water-bath  until  the  liquid  is  evaporated,  when 
the  mass  is  treated  with  strong  alcohol,  filtered  and  the  residue  on  the 
filter  washed  with  much  alcohol.  The  filtrate  is  yellow  and  contains 
the  adonidin  not  quite  pure.  To  purify  it  the  solution  is  evaporated 
by  a  gentle  heat  to  a  small  volume  and  ether  added,  when  inactive 
colored  matter  is  precipitated  together  with  a  trace  of  adonidin.  Upon 
evaporation  of  the  mixture  of  alcohol  and  Jether  by  a  moderate  heat  a 
residue  is  obtained,  wdiich  represents  pure  adonidin  and  is  finished  by 
drying  in  a  vacuum  over  sulphuric  acid. 
The  quantity  of  adonidin  obtained  in  this  way,  from  two  kilograms 
of  Adonis  vernalis  was  small ;  this  the  author  does  not  consider  due  to 
any  defect  in  the  method  of  preparation,  but  to  the  fact  that  the  com- 
pound, which  is  extremely  energetic,  is  contained  in  the  plant  in 
relatively  small  proportion. 
Adonidin  is  non-nitrogenous,  colorless,  odorless,  amorphous,  and 
extremely  bitter.  It  is  soluble  in  alcohol,  but  only  slightly  so  in  ether 
and  in  water.  It  is  precipitated  by  tannic  acid,  the  precipitate  redis- 
solving  in  much  water.  It  is  insoluble  in  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  in 
the  cold,  but  on  being  heated  with  the  dilute  acid  it  splits  up  into 
sugar  and  a  substance  insoluble  in  ether. 
The  author  is  not  in  a  position  to  say  whether  the  decomposition 
product  has  any  action  upon  the  organism,  analogous  to  the  case  of 
