AmjuJnT'£arm'}     Analysis  of  Gaultheria  Proeumbens.  289 
AN  ANALYSIS  OF  THE  LEAVES  OF  GAULTHERIA 
PROCUMBENS. 
By  Frank  W.  Deoelle,  Ph.  G. 
(Abstracted  from  the  Author's  Inaugural  Essay.) 
A  proximate  analysis  was  made  of  the  finely  ground  leaves,  after 
they  had  been  separated  from  the  stems,  with  the  following  results  : 
Volatile  oil  .   *50  per  cent. 
Kesin  and  wax   2-50  " 
Resin  soluble  in  ether   2*15  " 
Chlorophyll,  with  small  amounts  of  arbutin,  urson  and 
tannin   275  " 
Tannin   5*45  " 
Chlorophyll,  arbutin  and  ericolin.   3-80  " 
Mucilage   2'90 
Glucose  and  dextrin   3  56  " 
Organic  acids   3*25  " 
Albumenoids   4-54  " 
Pararabin  and  allied  substances   2'20  " 
Loss  by  treatment  with  chlorine   6*35  " 
Moisture   8'60 
Ash   4-20 
Lignin  and  cellulose  45*53  " 
Total  9818 
The  moisture  and  ash  were  determined  in  the  usual  way,  and  a 
qualitative  analysis  of  the  latter  showed  the  ordinary  ash  constituents. 
Fifty  grams  were  taken  for  treatment  with  solvents.  Petroleum 
spirit  extracted  3 '00  per  cent,  of  a  soft  solid  substance,  which,  in 
addition  to  volatile  oil,  was  composed  largely  of  resin  with  a  small 
quantity  of  wax. 
Stronger  ether  extracted  4* 25  per  cent,  of  a  glossy  black  soft  solid 
of  an  agreeable  odor,  composed  of  chlorophyll  with  a  resin,  probably 
identical  with  the  resin  dissolved  by  petroleum  spirit  on  account  of  the 
volatile  oil  present.  Arbutin  was  found  in  small  quantity  in  this 
extract,  being  readily  detected  by  phosphomolybdic  acid.  By  treating 
the  ethereal  extract  with  water,  dissolving  the  insoluble  residue  in  hot 
absolute  alcohol  and  evaporating,  there  was  left  a  resinous  mass  which 
on  washing  with  a  little  ether  and  recrystallizing  from  alcohol  left  a 
yellowish  resinous  mass  containing  crystals  which  sublimed  on  heating 
and  gave  a  yellow  color  with  nitric  acid,  indicating  the  presence  of 
urson.  Tannin  was  also  found  in  the  ethereal  extract,  but  gallic  acid 
was  sought  for  with  negative  results. 
