^Fe°buyil7arm"}  Acorin  and  its  Derivatives.  89 
However  different  the  soils  of  these  two  countries  may  be,  a  com- 
parison of  the  analysis  of  Mr.  Carles  and  myself  will  show  that 
cinchona  bark  appropriated  to  itself  a  peculiar  arrangement  of 
chemical  elements.  If  the  arrangement  of  the  inorganic  constituents 
of  plants  were  at  all  constant  it  would  be  a  means  whereby  the 
chemist  could  assist  the  botanist  in  discriminating  between  different 
natural  orders,  genera,  if  not  species  of  plants. — Pharm.  Jour,  and 
Trans.,  Jan.  8,  1887. 
Ootacamund,  India,  Dec.  7,  1886. 
ACORIN  AND  ITS  DERIVATIVES. 
By  H.  Thoms. 
The  bitter  principle  of  the  rhizome  of  Acorus  Calamus,  L.,  was  first 
Investigated  by  Faust  (Arch.  Pharm.,  1867,  132,  214),  who  obtained 
a  soft  resin-like  bitter  principle  of  the  color  of  refined  honey,  to  which 
he  gave  the  name  of  acorin,  and  concluded  from  its  reactions  that  it 
was  a  nitrogenous  glucoside. 
Hopff  has  shown  that  both  vegetable  and  animal  charcoal  have  the 
property  of  extracting  the  bitter  principles  from  numerous  bitter  plants. 
The  author  employed  freshly  ignited  bone  charcoal  to  extract  the  prin- 
ciple from  the  aqueous  solution.  After  two  days'  digestion  of  the 
charcoal,  with  frequent  shaking,  the  bitterness  of  the  liquid  had  disap- 
peared. The  charcoal  was  collected  on  a  filter,  well  washed,  dried,  ex- 
tracted with  90  per  cent,  alcohol,  and  the  filtrate  distilled  until  a  turbid 
aqueous  solution  remained.  The  last  fraction  of  ethereal  oils  can  be 
removed  on  the  water-bath.  On  treating  with  ether  and  evaporating, 
a  honey-yellow  balsam  is  obtained  with  a  faint  aromatic  odor  and  a 
strong,  bitter,  aromatic  taste.  The  process  yielded  about  0*18  per  cent, 
of  acorin.  The  product  thus  obtained  was  found  to  be  free  from  nitrogen, 
the  nitrogen  in  Faust's  product  being  due  to  the  presence  of  impurity. 
Acorin  is  insoluble  in  water,  dilute  acids,  and  alkalis,  easily  soluble 
in  absolute  alcohol,  methyl  alcohol,  ether,  benzene,  toluene,  chloroform, 
carbon  bisulphide,  and  acetone.  By  long  heating  with  dilute  acids  or 
alkalis,  an  odor  of  ethereal  oil  becomes  clearly  perceptible.    Feb  ling's 
