78 
Gleanings  in  Materia  Medica. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Feb.,  1887. 
Phar.,  1884  p.  554),  regards  the  plant  to  be  a  Remijia,  and  obtained 
from  the  bark  0.75  per  cent,  of  alkaloids  of  which  0.255  was  quinine, 
0.06  cinchonine,  0.05  quinidine,  the  remainder  being  amorphous. 
On  analyzing  the  bark,  Pelletier  (Jour,  de  Phar.,  October,  1825), 
found  no  quinine.  Peretti  (Gazzetta  Edettica,  1834-35)  reported  the 
isolation  of  pitoyine,  which  was  tasteless,  but  after  combining  with 
acids  very  bitter;  above  100°C.  fusible  and  partly  sublimable  in  deli- 
cate prisms;  the  sulphate  crystallized  in  white  prisms,  radiating  in 
fan-like  groups  ;  the  acetate  was  uncrystallizable.  Hesse  (Annalen, 
vol.  166,  p.  235)  showed  that  the  bark  contained  no  quinine  or  other 
alkaloid. 
On  repeating  the  examination  with  larger  quantities  (60  to  80  gm.) 
of  the  bark,  Hesse  (Ibid.,  vol.  234),  obtained  an  alkaloid  not  exceed- 
ing 0.1  per  cent. ;  it  was  absolutely  free  from  cinchona  alkaloids,  but 
seems  to  be  related  to  some  of  the  alkaloids  of  Remijia  Purdieana  (see 
Amer.  Jour.  Phar.,  1885,  p.  199).  It  is  soluble  in  ether,  chloro- 
form, and  dilute  sulphuric  acid  with  an  intense  yellow  color ;  the  latter 
solution  yields  with  a  little  ammonia  or  potassa  a  dark  yellow  precipi- 
tate, and  dingy  yellow  precipitates  with  the  chlorides  of  platinum  and 
of  gold,  and  with  strong  nitric  acid  ;  the  solution  was  completely  de- 
colorized and  deprived  of  alkaloid  by  treatment  with  a  little  animal 
charcoal.  Hodgkin's  results  may  probably  be  accounted  for  by  the 
admixture  of  some  bark  of  Pemijia  pedunculata. 
CinchoL — Accompanying  kinovin  Dr.  Giesel  observed  a  crystallizing 
compound  which  Liebermann  named  oxychinoterpene  (Berichte  D. 
Chem.  Ges.  1884,  p.  871),  and  which  Hesse  regarded  as  identical  with 
his  cinchol  (see  Am.  Jour.  Phar.,  1885,  p.  457).  On  re-examining 
the  compound  Liebermann  (Berichte,  1885,  p.  1803)  found  it  to  agree 
closely  with  Hesse's  cinchol ;  but  on  account  of  slight  differences,  and 
because  in  some  respects  it  resembles  cholesterin,  he  preferred  to  name 
it  cholestoL  O.  Hesse  (Liebig's  Annalen,  vol.  234,  p.  375)  has  shown 
that  the  needle-shaped  scales  of  cinchol  prepared  from  cinchocerotin, 
after  fusion,  will  crystallize  in  broad  laminae,  and  that  the  compound 
from  both  sources  may,  therefore,  be  obtained  in  crystals  resembling 
prisms  or  scales.  The  acetyl-cinchol  prepared  from  the  two  bodies, 
crystallizes  in  prisms  or  after  previous  fusion,  in  scales  ;  the  melting 
point  is  124°C. 
Lactucerin  was  prepared  by  O.  Hesse  (Liebig's  Annalen,  vol.  234, 
p.  243)  by  treating  German  lactucariun  with  cold  petroleum  benzin 
