Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  \ 
May,  1878.  j 
Cham^elirin. 
251 
light  buff  color,  which  proves  to  be  a  glucoside,  and  which  I  propose  to 
call  cham&lirin,  to  distinguish  it  from  helonin,  the  so-called  neutral 
substance  of  the  "  Eclectics,"  which,  according  to  King,  is  merely  a 
"  hydro-alcoholic  extract "  of  the  Helonias  dioica. 
In  making  this  examination,  in  the  first  instance  four  troyounces  of 
the  powdered  chamaelirium  root  were  exhausted  with  cold  distilled 
water,  the  filtered  solution  placed  on  a  water  bath,  evaporated  to  one  half 
its  bulk,  calcined  magnesia  added,  and  the  evaporation  continued  until 
the  mass  was  dry,  when  it  was  powdered,  and  extracted  with  several 
portions  of  ether.  On  evaporating  the  ethereal  solution,  there  remained 
a  small  quantity  of  a  white  substance,  which  was  amorphorus,  and 
insoluble  in  water,  acids  and  ammonia,  but  readily  soluble  in  alcohol. 
The  mass  which  had  been  ex'hausted  with  ether,  was  then  extracted 
with  absolute  alcohol,  and  the  solution,  which  was  of  a  light  yellow 
color,  filtered.  After  the  evaporation  of  the  alcohol,  there  remained  a 
light  yellow,  transparent,  resinous  matter,  having  an  intensely  bitter 
taste,  and  which  dissolved  completely  in  water.  The  aqueous  solution 
was  found  to  be  quite  neutral,  and  did  not  give  any  reactions  with  the 
ordinary  tests  for  the  alkaloids,  with  the  exception  of  phosphomolybdic 
acid,  with  which  it  gave  a  flocculent  yellowish-white  precipitate. 
Boiled  with  Fehling's  solution,  it  however  quickly  reduced  the  copper. 
A  small  quantity  of  an  aqueous  infusion  of  the  root  was  then  added  to 
the  test  solution,  and  boiled,  when  the  copper  was  converted  into  the 
red  oxide,  showing  conclusively  that  glucose  existed  in  the  root. 
Believing  that  with  care  in  drying  the  magnesia  mass  thoroughly,  the 
bitter  principle  could  be  extracted  free  from  glucose,  or  if  not,  with  the 
intention  of  removing  it  from  the  alcoholic  solution  by  the  addition  of 
the  proper  amount  of  ether,  eight  troyounces  of  the  finely  powdered 
root  were  exhausted  with  water,  the  filtered  solution  treated  as  before 
with  magnesia,  evaporated  to  dryness,  the  mass  powdered,  again  heated 
on  the  water-bath,  and  then  placed  in  a  warm  closet  for  some  hours. 
The  bitter  principle  was  then  extracted  with  hot  absolute  alcohol ;  the 
filtered  solution  was  evaporated,  and  yielded  20  grams  of  the  bitter  prin- 
ciple which,  tested  with  Fehling's  solution,  proved  to  be  entirely  free  from 
glucose.  The  magnesia  mass  was  then  treated  with  hot  distilled  water, 
and  the  filtered  solution  evaporated  to  dryness  with  a  little  magnesia, 
and  this  mass  again  extracted  with  absolute  alcohol.  On  evaporating 
the  alcohol,  2*65  grams  more  of  the  bitter  substance  were  obtained* 
