Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
May,  1878.  J 
Chamaelirin. 
25J 
color.    It  is  very  readily  reduced  to  a  powder,  which  is  very  much 
lighter  in  color  than  the  substance  in  mass.    This  powder  adheres  to 
the  fingers  after  the  manner  of  a  resin.    As  may  be  gathered  from  the 
method  of  extraction,  chamaelirin  is  freely  soluble  in  hot  and  cold  water 
and  alcohol.     It  is  insoluble,  or  only  very  sparingly  so,  in  ether,  and 
quite  insoluble  in  chloroform,  petroleum  benzin,  benzol  and  bisul- 
phide of  carbon.    The  solid  substance  gives  no  play  of  colors  when 
brought  in  contact  with  sulphuric,  nitric  or  hydrochloric  acids.  When,, 
however,  sulphuric  acid  is  added  to  a  small  quantity,  in  a  test  tube,  at 
the  moment  of  contact  a  ruby-red  color  is  produced,  which  soon 
disappears,  as  the  substance  is  quickly  charred  by  the  acid.  Treated 
similarly  with  nitric  acid,  it  dissolves  in  it,  giving  a  clear  canary-yellow 
solution,  which  does  not  change  by  standing.     Hydrochloric  acid 
dissolves  it,  the  solution  gradually  assuming  a  beautiful  wine  or  peach- 
red  color  ;  the  liquid,  however,  becomes  turbid  after  a  short  time.  Its 
solution  in  acetic  acid  is  colorless.    It  does  not  afford  any  play  of 
colors  with  Fiohde's  reagent,  but  dissolves  in  it  with  a  yellowish  brown 
color.    It  is  freely  soluble  in  ammonia  ;  but  strong  solutions  of  the 
fixed  alkalies  precipitate  it  from  its  solution.    It  is  also  precipitated  by 
an  excess  of  a  solution  of  caustic  baryta.    It  has  no  effect  whatever 
on  test  papers.    It  is  not  precipitated  from  its  solution  by  either  tannic 
acid  or  acetate  of  lead,  and  affords  no  precipitates  with  potassio- 
mercuric  iodide,  iodine  in  iodide  of  potassium  solution,  potassio-cadmic 
iodide  or  metatungstic  acid;  it  does,  however,  give  a  yellowish  white 
precipitate  with  phosphomolybdic  acid,  which  dissolves  in  ammonia 
with  a  blue  color,  that  disappears  on  heating.    It  does  not  reduce  the 
cupric  to  the  cuprous  hydrate,  even  after  prolonged  boiling  with  the 
test  solution.    A  small  portion  of  the  substance,  boiled  with  dilute 
hydrochloric  acid,  neutralized  with  bicarbonate  of  soda,  and  then  added 
to  Fehling's  solution  and  boiled,  quickly  reduced  the  copper,  showing 
that  it  is  a  glucoside.    The  dilute  acid  splits  it  up  into  glucose  and  an 
insoluble  body,  the  examination  of  which  has  not  been  completed. 
The  aqueous  and  alcoholic  solutions  of  chamaelirin  froth  in  the 
same  manner  as  those  of  saponin,  which  renders  it  probable  that  it  is 
very  similar  to  the  last-named  substance  and  the  other  glucosides  that 
have  the  same  property.  Its  free  solubility  in  cold  water,  and  its 
behavior  with  the  mineral  acids  prove,  however,  that  it  is  not  identical 
with  any  of  these  bodies. 
