ARNICA  MONTANA. 
451 
evaporation  as  white  warty  crystals,  becoming  soft  and  balsam- 
like by  a  gentle  heat.  This  is  the  acrid  body,  named  by  the 
author,  arnicine — (N.  Jahrb.  f.  Ph.  xiii.  174.) 
After  the  removal  of  the  ethereal  liquid,  the  aqueous  liquor 
was  turbid,  and  left  on  the  filter  a  brownish  mass,  consisting  of  a 
resinous  body,  soluble  in  alcohol,  and  some  of  the  above  white 
body  crystallizing  from  hot  alcohol.  The  alcoholic  solution, 
after  removing  coloring  matter  by  animal  charcoal,  left  on 
evaporation  a  yellowish-brown  body,  from  which  ammonia  sepa- 
rated some  arnicine,  leaving  the  resin  behind. 
The  aqueous  filtrate  was  of  a  dark  color,  and  a  bitter  and 
still  acrid  taste  ;  oxide  of  lead  removed  much  coloring  matter, 
and  on  evaporation,  a  yellowish,  very  hygroscopic  powder,  of  a 
bitter,  acrid  taste,  remained  behind.  This  was  treated  with 
absolute  alcohol,  which  left  gum  and  sugar  behind.  After  dis- 
tilling ofi"  the  alcohol,  the  amorphous  residue  was  treated  with 
ether ;  on  evaporating  this  solution  a  scarcely  colored,  very 
acrid,  resinous  body  remained  behind.  It  was  dissolved  by 
ammonia,  from  which  solution  a  white,  silky  crystalline  powder 
separated,  which  proved  to  be  a  wax. 
The  ammoniacal  solution  left  the  arnicine  on  evaporation,  as 
an  amorphous  mass.  Neutralized  with  muriatic  acid,  a  turbidity, 
and  afterwards  floccules,  appeared,  which  united,  assuming  a  re- 
sinous appearance.  This  arnicine  is  sparingly  soluble  in  water, 
but  imparts  to  it  its  acrid  persistent  taste,  And  produces  with 
tannin  a  flocculent  precipitate.  Its  behaviour  to  reagents  is  as 
follows :  bichloride  of  platinum,  after  some  time,  a  yellowish- 
white  precipitate  ;  nitrate  of  silver,  white  voluminous  ;  proto- 
nitrate  of  mercury,  white  bulky  ;  terchloride  of  gold,  yellowish- 
white,  bulky ;  subacetate  of  lead,  white ;  baryta,  even  in  alco- 
holic solutions,  crystalline ;  alkalies  deepen  the  color.  Acids 
produce  on  standing  or  boiling,  a  flocculent  precipitate. 
Arnicine  deprived  of  all  adhering  moisture,  is  a  golden  yel- 
low mass,  which  dissolves  in  alkalies,  the  solutions  leaving  on 
evaporation  a  sticky  mass;  the  ammoniacal  solution,  however,pure 
arnicine.  Sulphuric  acid  colors  it  yellowish  brown,  nitric  acid 
produces  a  tough  resin,  hydrochloric  acid  dissolves  it  slowly,  the 
solution  becomes  turbid  on  the  addition  of  M^ater.    It  contains 
