Am.  jour.  Pharm.  j  Color  Reactions  from  Acer  spicatum.  TI 
January,   191 7.    J  1  r  1  x 
ment  of  female  troubles.  Several  of  these  were  found  to  give  Born- 
trager's test  for  emodin.  However,  other  tests  failed  to  classify 
the  emodin-like  material  as  any  of  the  common  emodin-bearing 
drugs,  i.  e.,  aloes,  cascara,  rhubarb  or  senna. 
Knowing  the  common  use  of  the  Viburnums  in  preparations 
designated  for  the  treatment  of  female  diseases,  the  idea  suggested 
itself  that  an  uncommon  emodin-like  substance  might  occur  in  the 
commercial  drug  or  fluidextract,  or  perhaps  was  a  common  adul- 
terant. Accordingly  Borntrager's  test  was  applied  to  samples  of 
commercial  fluidextracts  of  Viburnum  opulus  and  Viburnum  pruni- 
folium  which  were  available. 
The  test  was  carried  out  in  the  following  manner : 
The  fluidextract  in  a  separatory  funnel  was  diluted  with  about 
three  volumes  of  water,  about  5  Cc.  concentrated  hydrochloric  acid 
added,  and  the  mixture  shaken  with  about  one  fourth  of  its  bulk  of 
petroleum  ether.  After  settling  the  petroleum  ether  was  decanted 
into  a  test  tube  containing  2  to  3  Cc.  of  10  per  cent,  ammonia  water, 
and  allowed  to  stand,  whereupon  the  crimson  color  appears  at  the 
juncture  of  the  two  liquids  and  gradually  diffuses  down  into  the 
ammonia. 
The  fluidextract  of  Viburnum  prunifolium  gave  only  a  faint 
yellow  color,  while  the  fluidextract  of  Viburnum  opulus  gave  a  very 
characteristic  test. 
Considering  the  possible  adulteration  of  this  fluidextract  of 
Viburnum  opulus,  a  sample  of  cramp  bark — labeled  Viburnum 
Opulus  U.  S.  P.  VIII — was  obtained  and  a  fluidextract  prepared 
from  it  according  to  the  U.  S.  P.  VIII.  (A  portion  of  this  sample 
was  submitted  to  the  Bureau's  pharmacognosist  for  examination, 
but  a  report  identifying  this  as  Acer  spicatum  was  not  received  until 
the  author,  then  working  in  the  laboratory  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  had  satisfied  himself  that  such  must  have  been  the  case.) 
The  fluidextract  prepared  from  this  sample  was  tested  immediately 
after  its  preparation  by  Borntrager's  test  as  given  above,  and  was 
found  to  give  the  test  only  very  faintly. 
About  eight  months  later  Dr.  W.  S.  Hubbard's  work  on  the 
separation  of  the  common  emodin-bearing  drugs  again  brought  to 
the  author's  mind  this  question  of  an  emodin-like  substance  in 
Viburnum  opulus — or  rather  Acer  spicatum.  Hubbard  found  that 
ether  was  more  satisfactory  than  petroleum  ether  in  Borntrager's  test 
since  the  emodin  or  emodin-like  material  is  more  soluble  in  the 
