33^ 
The  Active  Constituents  of  Ergot. 
i  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\      July,  1878 
ether  a  slight  precipitate,  which  after  a  few  days'  standing  forms  a 
syrupy,  brown  mass,  which  has  scarcely  any  medicinal  virtue.  The 
filtrate  from  this  precipitate,  in  which  the  reactions  still  distinctly  indi- 
cate the  presence  of  WenzelFs  alkaloids,  after  evaporating  the  ether 
and  alcohol,  does  not  produce  the  specific  action  of  ergot. 
The  dark  liquid  remaining  on  the  dialyzator,  when  mixed  with  suf- 
ficient alcohol  to  bring  it  to  45 — 50  per  cent.,  precipitates  the  scleromucin^ 
which  while  moist  forms  a  mucilaginous  solution  with  water,  but  after 
drying  is  only  partially  soluble,  differing  in  this  respect  from  sclerotic 
acid,  which  is  soluble,  in  all  proportions,  before  and  after  drying. 
Sclerotic  acid  is  obtained  in  a  nearly  pure  state  by  kneading  the  mixed 
sclerotates  as  obtained  above,  with  80  per  cent,  alcohol,  and  afterwards 
dissolving  them  in  40  per  cent,  alcohol ;  the  solution  is  mixed  with  an 
excess  of  hydrochloric  acid,  and  after  several  hours  precipitated  with 
absolute  alcohol,  whereby  the  ash  is  reduced  to  about  3  per  cent.,  and 
consists  mainly  of  some  silica,  manganium,  and  phosphates  of  iron  and 
potassium.  The  acid  is  not  a  glucoside,  and  yields  no  precipitates  with 
the  reagents  for  alkaloids,  except  with  phosphomolybdic  acid  a  yellow, 
and  with  tannin  a  nearly  colorless  one.  Sclerotic  acid  is  obtained  as  a 
yellowish-brown,  tasteless  and  inodorous  substance,  which  has  a  very 
slight  acid  reaction,  and  is  hygroscopic  without  being  deliquescent.  It 
is  very  well  adapted  for  subcutaneous  appliances,  in  doses  of  0*03 — 
0*045  gram. 
Scleromucin  is  darker  in  color,  slightly  hygroscopic,  gummy,  inodor- 
ous and  tasteless  ;  yields  26'8  per  cent,  of  ash,  and,  like  sclerotic  acid, 
contains  nitrogen,  is  not  a  glucoside,  and  is  precipitated  by  tannin  and 
phosphomolybdic  acid. 
Good  ergot  yields  about  4  to  4J  per  cent,  of  sclerotic  acid,  and 
about  2  to  3  per  cent,  of  scleromucin. 
In  the  commercial  extracts  the  acid  is  found  in  variable  quantities, 
depending  on  the  strength  of  alcohol  used  in  their  manufacture.  Scle- 
romucin is  generally  not  present,  except  sometimes  in  very  small  quan- 
tities, as,  for  instance,  in  Bonjean's  ergotin,  which  contains  consider- 
able sclerotic  acid. 
The  following  coloring  matters  have  been  isolated  from  ergot  :  yel- 
low crystalline  scales  of  scleroxanthin^  in  combination  with  the  pale  yel- 
low needle-like  crystals  of  its  anhydrid  termed  sclerocrystallin ;  also  an 
amorphous  mass,  soluble  with  difficulty  in  ether,  alcohol  and  chloro- 
