212 
Myrica  Asplenifolia. 
f  Am.  Jour  Pharm. 
I       May,  1894. 
The  amounts  of  the  petroleum  ether,  ether  and  absolute  alco- 
hol extracts  were  estimated  by  evaporating  the  whole  extract  to  a 
constant  weight  on  the  water-bath. 
In  the  case  of  the  water,  alkaline  water  and  acidulated  water,  the 
total  solids  of  the  extract  were  determined  by  evaporating  an  ali- 
quot part  of  the  liter  (to  which  volume  all  these  watery  extracts  were 
adjusted)  to  constant  weight  at  the  above  temperature. 
The  dried  residue  was  ignited  to  estimate  ash.  The  difference 
between  total  solids  and  ash  was  taken  as  organic  solids,  and  upon 
the  amount  of  these  are  based  the  percentages  of  these  three 
extracts. 
The  ashes  of  the  petroleum  ether,  ether  and  absolute  alcohol 
extracts  were  too  small  to  exact  consideration. 
In  all  cases  glucose  was  tested  for  and  estimated  by  making  the 
liquid  alkaline  with  sodium  hydrate  and  then  heating  with  Fehling's 
solution  for  twenty  minutes  on  a  water-bath.  The  cuprous  oxide 
was  then  collected,  washed,  dried  and  converted  by  ignition  into 
cupric  oxide.  Of  the  weight  of  the  latter  obtained,  45  per  cent, 
was  taken  as  the  amount  of  glucose  present  in  the  fractional  part  of 
the  extract  under  examination. 
After  boiling  an  equal  volume  of  the  glucose  containing  liquid, 
with  one  per  cent,  hydrochloric  acid,  and  then  making  alkaline  and 
following  the  above  plan,  any  increased  reduction  of  the  copper 
solution  was  attributed  to  saccharose,  the  amount  of  which  can  be 
readily  calculated  from  the  relative  molecular  weights  of  the  two 
sugars. 
Previous  to  applying  the  above  processes  for  the  determination 
of  these  substances,  tannin  and  coloring  matter  were  removed  by 
means  of  lead  acetate.  The  filtrate  from  the  lead  precipitate  was 
freed  from  lead  by  means  of  hydrogen  sulphide,  and,  after  filtering 
out  the  lead  sulphide,  the  excess  of  this  gas  was  dissipated  by 
warming  the  liquid,*  which,  when  cooled  and  made  alkaline,  was  in 
condition  for  treatment  with  Fehling's  solution. 
The  tannin  was  determined  by  the  method  given  under  the 
special  heading. 
In  the  distilled  water  extracts,  mucilage  and  albuminoids  were 
estimated  by  mixing  a  portion  of  the  liquid  extract  with  four  times 
its  volume  of  alcohol ;  in  the  alkaline  water  extract  this  treatment 
was  preceded  with  sufficient  acetic  acid  to  slightly  acidify  the  liquid. 
