AmAPTiir;Sarm  }  Gleanings  from  the  German  Journals.  201 
and  Carthagena  root  were  selected  and  the  bark  and  wood  carefully 
separated  and  used  for  the  assays.  Rio  :  bark  2  908  percent.,  wood 
0  533  Per  cent.  Carthagena  :  bark  2-92  per  cent.,  wood  0-65  per 
cent.  In  the  examination  of  the  woody  portion  if  the  results  are  much 
higher  than  0-5-0-6  per  cent.,  it  would  indicate  that  the  root  had 
become  wetted.  These  figures  for  the  wood  while  higher  than  those 
generally  quoted,  still  warrant  the  requirement  that  in  providing  the 
root  the  woody  tissue  be  removed  as  far  as  practical. 
Hydrastis. — Hydrastine  being  the  active  constituent  only  this  is 
considered  in  the  assay  which  is  based  upon  the  same  principles  as 
that  of  the  assay  of  ipecac.  (1)  Powdered  hydrastis  12  gm.,  ether 
120  gm.,  water  of  ammonia  10  gm.,  water  15  gm.,  100  gms.  (repre- 
senting 10  gms.  root),  are  to  be  decanted,  the  solvent  removed  and 
the  residue  weighed.  (2)  Powdered  hydrastis  25  gm.,  ether  125  gm., 
water  of  ammonia  10  gm.,  water  30  gm. ;  100  gm.  decanted  (20 
gm.  root),  extracted  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  etc.,  as 
described  under  method  (2)  for  ipecac  assay,  the  yield  of  crude 
alkaloids  is  2  63-2  97  per  cent.  As  hydrastine  cannot  be  titrated, 
the  crude  alkaloid  is  dissolved  by  the  aid  of  heat  in  8  cc.  alcohol,  4  cc. 
ether  and  then  gradually  20  cc.  water  added;  after  standing  for  24 
hours  almost  the  entire  quantity  of  hydrastine  will  have  crystallized 
out,  so  that  the  crystals  can  be  removed  to  a  filter,  washed  with 
about  6  cc.  cold  water,  transferred  back  to  the  flask,  dried  and 
weighed.  Berberine  can  be  extracted  from  the  drug,  previously 
extracted  with  ether,  by  the  use  of  alcohol  and  precipitating  as 
nitrate  or  tri-iodide. 
Cevadilla. — Powdered  Cevadilla  seeds  15  gm.,  ether  150  gm., 
water  of  ammonia  10  gm.,  water  30  gm.;  100  gm.  (10  gm.  drug) 
are  decanted,  agitated  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  etc.,  as  above 
using  ether  as  the  solvent  of  the  alkaloids.  The  yield  of  crude 
alkaloids  is  4-25-4-35  per  cent,  compared  with  1-2  per  cent,  of  other 
investigators.  The  crude  alkaloid  represents  a  mixture  #of  vera- 
trine  and  veratridine  (C32H49N09,  mol.  weight  591),  sabadilline 
(C41H66N2013  =  764),  sabatrine  (C20H45NO9  =  516)  and  a  few  other 
alkaloids  occurring  only  in  minute  quantity,  which  can  easily  be 
titrated.  From  experiments  the  purified  alkaloid  has  an  equivalent 
weight  of  620-630,  so  that  one  cc.  hydrochloric  acid  represents 
00625  alkaloid. — C.  C.  Keller  (Schwz.  Wochenschr.  f.  Chem  u. 
Pharm.)  Apotheker  Ztg.,  1894,  52  and  133. 
