126 
Chimaphila  Umbellata. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharnu 
\      March,  1887. 
The  crystals  melt  at  236°  C.  (difference  from  urson  which  melts  at 
190°  C. );  they  can  be  sublimed  at  a  temperature  below  the  melting 
point  if  the  heat  is  applied  long  enough,  and  they  finally  carbonize  at 
278°  C.  They  are  sparingly  soluble  in  cold  or  boiling  90  per  cent, 
alcohol,  sparingly  soluble  in  absolute  alcohol,  stronger  ether,  benzol, 
chloroform,  and  glacial  acetic  acid,  and  precipitated  on  diluting  with 
water  •  more  freely  soluble  in  hot  glacial  acetic  acid.  Bromine  has  a  de- 
cided action  on  them  and  appears  to  form  bromine  derivatives. 
When  pure  they  do  not  give  any  color  reaction  with  nitric  acid, 
(difference  from  urson),  but  slowly  dissolve  in  the  acid.  Strong  sul- 
phuric acid  does  not  carbonize  them,  nor  is  the  acid  colored,  which  will 
serve  as  a  chemical  test  by  which  they  may  be  distinguished  from  urson, 
the  latter  being  carbonized  by  strong  sulphuric  acid,  and  the  acid  col- 
ored red.  Like  urson,  they  are  tasteless  and  odorless,  when  pure. 
They  are  not  well  crystallized  from  stronger  ether.  The  most  perfect 
crystallization  may  probably  be  obtained  from  a  solution  in  chloroform. 
I  also  distilled  with  water,  some  leaves  of  chimaphila,  practically 
free  from  stems  ;  upon  shaking  the  distillate  with  petroleum  spirit,  and 
evaporating  the  latter,  golden-yellow,  flaky  crystals  were  obtained,  the 
yellow  appearance  probably  due  to  impurities  ;  these  crystals  are  freely 
soluble  in  chloroform,  alcohol  and  ether,  insoluble  in  water,  colored 
blood  red  by  sulphuric  acicl,  the  color  being  changed  on  the  addition  of 
bichromate  of  potassium  to  yellow,  then  green,  which  appears  to  be 
permanent ;  on  the  addition  of  nitric  acid  the  blood  red  color  is 
changed  to  yellow.  Upon  distilling  with  water  the  stems,  the  same 
principle  was  obtained. 
This  compound,  obtained  by  distillation,  was  first  made  mention 
of  by  Mr.  Samuel  Fairbank  (in  the  Journ.  and  Trans,  of  the  Md. 
Col.  of  Pharm.,  March,  1860),  but  it  appears  to  be  distinct  from  the 
one  obtained  by  the  action  on  the  drug  with  petroleum  spirit,  in  the 
following  respects: — 1st.  In  their  physical  properties,  the  crystals 
being  of  vellow  and  flaky  appearance  and  freely  soluble  in  most  sim- 
ple solvents ;  on  the  other  hand,  those  obtained  by  the  action  on  the 
drug  with  petroleum  spirit  are  purely  white,  and  the  crystals  have  an 
acicular  appearance.  2d.  In  the  chemical  behavior  they  differ  by 
forming  color  reactions  with  sulphuric  acid,  with  sulphuric  acid  and 
bichromate  of  potassium,  and  with  sulphuric  followed  by  nitric  acid. 
Those  obtained  by  the  action  on  the  drug  with  petroleum  spirit  do  not 
produce  any  color  reaction  with  the  above  reagents. 
