ON  CYCLAMIN,  ETC. 
155 
pounds  of  the  dried  tubers,  collected  in  the  fall,  are  reduced  to 
a  coarse  powder,  mixed  with  two  pounds  of  animal  charcoal, 
digested  for  twenty-four  hours  in  a  still  with  six  gallons  of 
alcohol  of  at  least  «825  spec,  grav.,  then  boiled,  the  distilled 
alcohol  being  returned  into  the  still,  and  expressed  while  yet 
warm;  the  residue  is  treated  in  the  same  manner  with  4i  galls, 
alcohol,  and  the  mixed  tinctures,  after  having  been  filtered,  are 
distilled  until  one-fourth  is  left  behind,  which  residue  is  set  aside 
for  six  or  eight  weeks.  The  precipitate  is  then  washed  upon  a 
filter  with  alcohol  until  it  passes  colorless.  The  filtrate  and  the 
washings  are  mixed  and  evaporated  to  three  or  four  quarts*  In 
a  few  weeks  more  cyclamin  will  have  separated;  after  washing 
it  is  added  to  the  portion  first  obtained.  The  whole  is  then 
mixed  with  6  oz.  animal  charcoal,  and  treated  with  4  pints  of 
boiling  alcohol.  On  standing  over  night,  the  filtrate  deposits 
most  of  the  cyclamin ;  the  liquid  portion  is  distilled  or  evapo- 
rated to  6  or  8  oz.,  and  will  separate  some  more  cyclamin  after 
several  days. 
Cyclamin  is  a  white  granular  powder,  uncrystallizable,  soluble 
in  alcohol  and  water.  The  aqueous  solution  is  fluorescent,  and 
coagulates  on  boiling,  but  the  coagulum  redissolves  in  the  liquid ; 
insoluble  in  ether,  chloroform,  glycerin  and  caustic  alkalies. 
The  solutions  are  neutral  to  test  paper.  They  are  precipitated 
white  by  nitrate  of  silver,  acetate  and  subacetate  of  lead,  and 
bluish  white  by  sulphate  of  copper.  When  boiled  with  diluted 
acids,  it  yields  glucose  in  solution  and  a  white  granular  precipi- 
tate, cyclamiretin,  insoluble  in  water  and  ether,  but  soluble  in 
alcohol. 
According  to  Dr.  Klinger's  analysis,  cyclamin  is  composed  of 
C4o  H24  °2o ;  cyclamiretin      C28  H16  012< 
In  the  "Zeitsch.  der  Aerzte  zu  Wien,"  Prof.  Dr.  Gr.  Schroff 
has  published  the  results  of  his  experiments  with  cyclamin  and 
the  root  of  Cyclamen  Europaeum.  The  following  is  selected 
from  an  abstract  of  that  paper  in  Buchner's  JV".  Hep.  viii. 
452-459. 
Cyclamin  is  amorphous,  white,  of  a  disagreeable  acrid  taste, 
persistent  in  the  throat.  Its  aqueous  solution  foams  like 
soap  water.  It  coagulates  between  60  and  75°  C.  (140  and 
167°  F.) 
