Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  ) 
Aug.,  1878.  j 
Pelletierina. 
389 
Solanacea,  tribe  Salpiglossidece,  near  the  genus  Anthocercis,  Labill.  Excel- 
lent reasons  may  be  advanced  for  each  classification,  the  plant  furnish- 
ing another  proof  of  the  close  relation  of  the  two  natural  orders,  and 
of  the  impossibility  of  absolutely  distinguishing  them. — Bull.  gSn.  de 
Therapy  April  30,  p.  362.  M. 
PELLETIERINA,  an  Alkaloid  of  POMEGRANATE  BARK.1 
By  M.  Tanret. 
It  is  usually  recognized  that  the  bark  of  the  pomegranate,  both  stem 
and  root,  is  active  as  a  febrifuge  in  the  fresh  state,  whilst  that  after 
drying  and  being  kept  some  time  it  loses  part  of  its  virtue.  The  most 
natural  explanation  of  this  difference  of  action  would  perhaps  be  that 
the  active  principle  of  this  bark  is  very  liable  to  alteration.  In  previ- 
ous researches,  however,  no  such  body  had  been  met  with,  but  the 
author  has  been  successful  in  discovering  in  the  bark  a  volatile  alka- 
loid, which  he  has  recently  brought  under  the  notice  of  the  Aademy 
of  Sciences.  This  alkaloid  he  proposes  to  call  "  pelletierina, "  in 
honor  of  the  learned  man  who  contributed  so  largely  to  the  history  of 
the  alkaloids. 
In  preparing  pelletierina  pomegranate  bark  (from  the  stem  and  roots) 
is  reduced  to  a  coarse  powder;  this  is  moistened  with  tolerably  thick 
milk  of  lime,  and  afterwards  lixiviated  with  water,  and  the  liquor  vig- 
orously shaken  up  several  times  with  chloroform.  The  chloroform  is 
then  separated  by  means  of  a  funnel  having  a  stop-cock  and  shaken 
with  sufficient  acid  to  render  it  neutral  or  slightly  acid.  In  this  way 
solutions  of  sulphate,  hydrochlorate,  nitrate,  etc.,  of  pelletierina  can 
be  obtained,  which  may  be  crystallized  by  evaporation  in  a  vacuum 
over  sulphuric  acid.  To  isolate  the  alkaloid  it  may  be  set  free  by 
treating  the  saline  solutions  with  carbonate  of  potash  and  agitating 
with  ether  or,  better  still,  chloroform.  The  etherial  or  chloroform 
solution  then  being  distilled  at  a  gentle  heat  the  alkali  is  left  as  a 
residue. 
One  kilogram  of  dry  commercial  bark  yielded  to  the  author  by  this 
process  four  grams  of  crystallized  pelletierina  sulphate.  With  fresh 
bark  the  yield  would  probably  be  greater. 
1 "  Comptes  Rendus,"  vol.  xxxvi,  p.  1270. 
