Am,  Jour.  Pnarm. 
July,  1887. 
Leaves  of  Tussilago  Farfara. 
341 
tralizing,  thus  giving  evidence  of  a  glucoside.  After  evaporating  this 
aqueous  solution  on  a  water  bath  to  a  small  bulk  and  placing  this  over 
sulphuric  acid  for  several  days,  a  white  amorphous  solid  had  separated, 
quite  bitter  and  inodorous,  but  on  boiling  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  a 
strong  odor,  similar  to  that  of  Avetted  leather,  was  evolved.  Thus  de- 
composed and  neutralized,  the  liquid  reduced  Fehling's  solution. 
That  portion  of  the  ethereal  extract  insoluble  in  water  Avas  treated  with  - 
hot  absolute  alcohol  which  failed  to  dissolve  the  whole  of  the  resid  ue.  The 
alcoholic  solution  filtered  and  poured  into  a  large  quantity  of  acidulated 
water,  separated  a  dark  brown-reddish  resin,  which,  on  drying  became 
brittle,  dark  red  with  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  whitish  on  the  ad- 
dition of  water,  and  was  soluble  in  concentrated  solution  of  caustic 
potash.  That  portion  insoluble  in  boiling  absolute  alcohol  was  found 
to  be  caoutchouc  which  had  escaped  extraction  with  petroleum  spirit. 
The  residue  after  exhaustion  with  stronger  ether  was  macerated  for 
24  hours  with  absolute  alcohol  and  filtered.  On  evaporation  an  ex- 
tract remained  which  amounted  to  3*28  per  cent.,  the  greater  portion 
of  which  was  soluble  in  distilled  water.  The  aqueous  solution  was 
free  from  alkaloids,  with  ferric  chloride  showed  evidences  of  tannin,  * 
and  with  neutral  lead  acetate  yielded  a  precipitate  containing  2*64  per 
cent,  of  organic  matter,  while  gelatin  and  alum  precipitated  2*42  per 
cent.,  the  difference  being  probably  gallic  acid. 
The  small  portion  not  dissolved  by  distilled  water  from  the  alco- 
holic extract  was  found  to  be  resinous  and  similar  in  character  to  that 
obtained  in  the  ethereal  extract. 
The  petroleum  spirits,  ethereal  and  alcoholic  extracts  were  strongly 
colored  green  by  the  chlorophyll  present  in  the  leaves.  The  solutions 
were  distinctly  green  by  transmitted  and  dark  red  by  reflected  light. 
The  residue  from  the  alcoholic  treatment  was  dried  and  macerated 
with  distilled  water  during  24  hours,  then  filtered  and  made  up  to 
known  volume  by  passing  distilled  water  through  the  filter.  The  ex- 
tracted matter  amounted  to  11*22  per  cent.  The  aqueous  solution, 
treated  with  2  vols,  of  absolute  alcohol  precipitated  3*42  per  cent,  of 
mucilage ;  the  filtrate  concentrated  and  treated  with  4  vols,  of  absolute 
alcohol  deposited  6 '23  per  cent,  of  dextrin  and  allied  carbohydrates, 
and  the  filtrate  from  this  on  evaporation  yielded  saponin,  insoluble  in 
absolute  alcohol,  soluble  in  chloroform,  turning  purple  with  concen- 
trated sulphuric  acid  and  yielding  frothing  solutions  with  water. 
The  residue  of  the  powdered  leaves  left  after  treatment  with  water 
