38 
Plants  of  Afghanistan. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Jan.,  1887. 
When  examined  by  the  spectroscope  the  sodium  and  calcium  bands 
Were  plainly  visible.  There  was  also  a  band  in  the  red  to  the  right  of 
the  calcium  bands,  which  might  possibly  be  strontium.  The  quantity 
present  was  not  sufficient  for  a  determination  of  its  position. 
Action  of  Gum-Resin  with  various  Reagents. — Sulphuric  acid  turned 
the  gum-resin  dark  brown.  Hydrochloric  acid  gave  no  well-marked 
action  in  the  cold,  but  when  a  portion  of  the  gum-resin  was  boiled 
with  this  acid  a  dirty  red  color  was  obtained,  which  underwent  no 
change  on  the  addition  of  alcohol. 
A  small  portion  of  the  gum-resin  was  boiled  with  water,  and  when 
cold,  ammonia  added;  a  very  slight  blue  fluorescence  was  visible, 
whieh  indicates  the  presence  of  umbelliferon  C9H603.  To  confirm  the 
result  a  portion  of  the  gum  resin  was  heated  for  some  time  with  hy- 
drochloric acid  at  100°  C. ;  this,  when  cold,  was  put  into  a  glass  sepa- 
rator with  some  chloroform,  and  after  agitation,  the  chloroformic 
layer  drawn  and  evaporated.  No  crystals  were  visible,  but  when  the 
evaporated  chloroformic  layer  was  extracted  with  water  and  ammonia 
added,  a  decided  blue  fluorescence  was  seen. 
I  then  fused  a  portion  of  the  gum  resin  with  nitre,  extracted  the 
mass  with  water,  and.  added  barium  chloride;  this  gave  a  precipitate 
wholly  soluble  in  acid,  indicating  the  absence  of  sulphur  in  the  drug. 
The  analysis  is  then  as  follows : 
Grams.      Per  cent. 
Volatile  oil   -1554  =  3T08 
Ether  extractive    \  regin   3*0600  -  61-200 
Alcohol  extractive  i    '3788  -  7-576 
Water  extractive,  gum   -8514  =  17'028 
Insoluble  matter   -5280  =  10"560 
4-9736 
The  foregoing  experiments  were  made  in  the  Pharmaceutical 
Society's  Laboratory,  by  permission  of  Professor  Attfield. — Phar. 
Jour,  and  Trans.,  Dec.  11,  1886,  p.  468. 
SOME  PLANTS  OF  AFGHANISTAN,  AND  THEIR  MEDI- 
CINAL PRODUCTS.1 
By  J.  E.  T.  Aitchison,  C.I.E.,  F.K.S., 
Brigade  Surgeon,  Bengal  Army. 
During  the  month  of  August,  1884, 1  was  appointed  by  his  Excel- 
lency the  Viceroy  and  Governor-General  of  India,  the  Marquis  of 
1  Read  at  an  Evening  Meeting  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Society  of  Great 
Britain,  Wednesday,  December  8,  1886. 
