466 
Ckamaliretin. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharni^ 
t       Oct.,  1878. 
As  it  was  necessary  in  injecting  the  chamaelirin  hypodermically,  and 
also  into  the  blood  vessels,  to  have  the  aqueous  solution  in  a  concen- 
trated form,  ten  grains  of  chamaelirin  were  placed  in  a  beaker,  and  one 
hundred  minims  of  distilled  water  added.  By  gentle  agitation  the 
substance  gradually  dissolved,  giving  a  clear,  syrupy  solution,  of  a  yel- 
lowish-brown color.  Solutions  of  this  strength  were,  however,  found 
to  become  cloudy  on  standing,  and  to  deposit  a  small  amount  of  gela- 
tinous matter  in  the  course  of  a  few  days  ;  it  was  likewise  noticed  that 
by  diluting  them  with  water  while  clear  that  a  turbidity  was  produced,, 
which  disappeared  on  heating  the  solution,  reappearing  on  cooling,  and 
subsiding  very  slowly. 
With  a  view  of  getting  rid  of  this  insoluble  matter,  which  was  evi- 
dently an  impurity,  and  likewise  removing  the  coloring  matter,  if  pos- 
sible, a  quantity  of  chamaelirin  containing  the  insoluble  matter  was 
dissolved  in  water  with  agitation,  and  the  cloudy  solution  set  aside  to 
settle.  After  the  subsidence  of  the  insoluble  portion  the  liquid  was 
filtered,  and  as  a  small  quantity  of  the  insoluble  substance  passed 
through  the  filter  at  the  close  of  the  operation,  communicating  a  slight 
haziness  to  the  solution,  magnesia  was  added  to  it,  and  the  mixture 
evaporated  to  dryness.  The  dried  mass  was  then  extracted  with  ether 
and  afterwards  with  absolute  alcohol,  and  the  alcohol  evaporated  off  on 
a  water-bath.  On  adding  distilled  water  to  the  resulting  chamaelirin 
it  was  found  to  form  a  perfectly  clear  solution,  thus  proving  that  the 
whole  of  the  insoluble  matter  can  be  removed  by  subsidence  and 
extraction  with  ether. 
As  the  chamaelirin  thus  obtained  was  still  slightly  colored,  it 
was  dissolved  in  distilled  water,  animal  charcoal  added,  the  mixture 
violently  agitated,  evaporated  to  complete  dryness  on  a  water-bath,  and 
then  extracted  with  boiling  absolute  alcohol.  On  evaporating  the 
alcohol  the  chamaelirin  was  found  to  be  almost  perfectly  white,  and  to 
yield  concentrated  solutions  of  a  very  pale  vellow  color. 
When  a  minute  quantity  of  this  purified  chamaelirin  is  brought  in 
contact  with  a  few  drops  of  concentrated  sulphuric  acid,  on  a  porce- 
ain  plate,  there  is  produced  a  bright  orange  color,  turning  rapidly  into 
a  crimson,  which  changes  to  a  brown  color,  and  then  to  a  rich  green, 
iasting  for  some  time,  but  finally  passing  into  a  purple,  which  gradu- 
ally fades  away,  leaving  a  dark  green  insoluble  mass  in  the  centre  of  a 
colorless  liquid.    The  reaction  with  hydrochloric  acid  is  the  same. 
