Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct.,  1878. 
Cimicifuga  Racemosa. 
469 
by  quercitrin,  but  appears  not  to  be  a  glucoside,  since  after  boiling 
with  muriatic  acid  Trommer's  test  failed  to  indicate  the  presence  of 
sugar.  The  aqueous  filtrate  from  the  resin  yielded  with  gelatin  a  white 
precipitate,  which,  however,  after  having  been  washed  with  water,  was 
not  colored  black  or  dark-green  by  ferric  chloride,  proving  the  absence 
of  tannin. 
The  resin  of  cimicifuga  was  freed  from  fatty  matter  by  petroleum 
benzin  and  afterwards  exhausted  with  chloroform,  which  dissolved  an 
uncrystallizable  resin,  soluble  in  alcohol  and  ether,  but  insoluble  in  oil 
of  turpentine  and  bisulphide  of  carbon.  Its  alcoholic  solution,  which 
has  an  acid  reaction,  was  precipitated  by  subacetate  of  lead^  the  filtrate 
freed  from  lead  by  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  and  evaporated  spontaneously. 
It  was  expected  to  yield  the  crystalline  principle  described  by  T.  E. 
Conard  ("Am.  Jour.  Phar.,"  1871,  p.  152)  ;  but  crystals  could  not  be 
obtained,  though  the  yellow  resinous  mass  had  the  behavior  described 
by  him. 
The  lead  precipitate  with  the  chloroformic  resin  was  decomposed  by- 
sulphuretted  hydrogen ;  the  filtrate  had  a  decided  acid  reaction,  was 
freed  from  some  matter  yielding  with  ammonia  a  brown  precipitate  by 
precipitating  with  water  and  redissolving  in  alcohol ;  after  concentrating 
and  evaporating  spontaneously  over  sulphuric  acid,  greenish  prisms  were 
obtained,  which  were  deliquescent  on  exposure,  had  an  acid  taste,  were 
soluble  in  ether,  alcohol  and  water,  yielded  with  ferric  chloride  a  white 
precipitate,  and  when  heated  on  platinum  foil  fused,  burned,  and  finallv 
left  some  red-brown  residue. 
The  fatty  matter  left  on  evaporating  the  benzin  solution  yielded  to 
alcohol  a  yellow  acid  matter,  which  was  partially  soluble  in  water, 
soluble  in  ether  and  chloroform  ;  gave  with  ferric  chloride  a  yellow 
solution,  had  an  agreeable  odor,  resembling  that  of  pineapple,  and  was 
completely  dissipated  by  heat.  The  fat  was  a  soft  solid  at  6o°F.,  but 
liquid  at  ioo°F.,  was  entirely  free  from  inorganic  matter,  and  on 
saponification  yielded  glycerin. 
On  treating  the  resin  left  by  benzin  and  chloroform  with  alcohol, 
subacetate  of  lead,  alumina,  etc.,  as  described  by  Mr.  Conard,  a  little 
resinous  mass  was  obtained  having  a  behavior  very  similar  to  that  of 
his  crystalline  principle. 
No  indications  of  a  volatile  oil  or  of  an  alkaloid  were  obtained. 
The  principle  which  is  colored  green  by  ferric  chloride  entered  to  some 
extent  into  the  various  solutions  made  with  simple  solvents,  but  was 
wholly  precipitated  by  basic  acetate  of  lead. 
