Am.  Jour.  Pharm  ) 
April,  1877.  j 
Extractum  Colocynthidis  Compositum. 
179 
solution  was  evaporated  and  the  residue  dried  on  a  water-bath  and 
weighed.  It  was  next  treated  with  ether  and  the  residue  left  on  evap- 
oration with  petroleum  benzin.  The  part  insoluble  in  the  latter  liquid 
was  next  dissolved  in  solution  of  potassa,  and  the  solution  supersaturated 
with  dilute  muriatic  acid  ;  the  precipitate,  if  any,  was  washed  with 
water,  dried  and  weighed.  The  part  soluble  in  petroleum  benzin  was,, 
also,  nearly  soluble  in  solution  of  potassa,  but  almost  wholely  precipi- 
tated with  dilute  muriatic  acid.  The  solubilities  of  the  five  ingredients 
in  the  different  menstrua  will  be  seen  in  the  following  table,  which  is 
the  average  of  three  different  experiments,  agreeing  closely  in  their 
results  : 
Soluble 
Soluble 
Soluble 
Insoluble 
Soluble 
Not  precip.  by 
Ten  Grams  in 
stronger 
in 
in  petroleum 
in  petroleum 
in  solution 
dil.  muriatic 
alcohol. 
ether. 
benzin. 
benzin. 
of  potassa. 
acid. 
Purified  aloes, 
8-87 
•66 
•26 
•40 
•40 
.04 
Ext.  of  colocynth, 
6-63 
•Si 
trace. 
"75 
•70 
trace. 
Cardamom, 
72 
•18 
•12 
•06 
06 
trace. 
Soap, 
6*oo 
176 
•15 
i*55 
1-55 
insol. 
Resin  of  scammony, 
IO'OO 
IO'OO 
IO'OO 
IO  OO 
IO'OO 
The  ingredients  enter  into  the  composition  of  compound  extract  of 
colocynth  in  the  following  proportions  (following  the  order  in  which 
they  are  enumerated  in  the  preceding  table),  24,  7,  3,  6  and  6,  making 
a  total  of  46  parts.  By  multiplying  each  figure,  as  given  in  the  above 
table,  with  the  figure  indicating  the  proportion  of  the  ingredient,  and 
dividing  by  46,  the  relative  amount  of  each,  as  contained  in  10  grams 
of  the  extract,  is  found,  if  the  latter  be  treated  in  the  manner  indicated 
above  : 
Purified  aloes, 
Ext.  colocynth, 
Cardamom, 
Soap, 
Res.  scammony, 
Sol.  in  strong 
alcohol. 
4-63 
I'OI 
•05 
•79 
1*30 
Sol.  in    1       Sol.  in 
ether,    petroleum  benzin. 
The  portion  ins.  in  bejizin 
34 
•12 
•01 
•23 
30 
•14 
trace. 
•01 
•02 
Soluble  in 
potassa. 
■  1 1 
trace. 
•20 
i-30 
Xot  precip, 
HCl. 
•02 
trace 
trace. 
1*30 
Total,  778  2*00  -17  1-82  1-32 
The  compound  extract  of  colocynth  was  made  from  the  ingredients 
used  in  the  above  experiments,  and  was  then  subjected  to  the  same 
treatment,  three  assays  being  made.  The  officinal  extract,  as  obtained 
from  a  manufacturer  of  undisputed  reliability,  was  likewise  assayed 
twice  ;  the  results  (averages)  obtained  in  these  assays  as  compared  with 
the  theoretical  results  calculated  from  the  experiments  upon  the  simple 
substances,  will  be  found  in  the  following  table  : 
