Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1894. 
Myrica  Asplenifolia. 
213 
In  all  cases,  after  mixing  with  the  alcohol,  the  liquid  was  allowed 
to  stand  for  twenty-four  hours,  before  collecting,  washing,  drying 
and  weighing  the  precipitate.  The  washing  was  accomplished  with 
a  mixture  of  one  volume  of  water  and  four  volumes  of  alcohol. 
The  ultimate  analyses  were  made  by  combustion  in  an  open  tube 
with  copper  oxide  and  a  current  of  oxygen. 
Moisture. — Weighed  quantities  of  the  leaves  and  rhizome  were 
dried  to  constant  weights  at  1 10°  C.  The  loss  was  considered  as 
moisture.  The  leaves  showed  8-40  per  cent,  and  the  rhizome  10  85 
per  cent. 
Ash. — The  dried  residues  from  the  moisture  determinations  were 
ignited  in  order  to  estimate  the  amount  of  inorganic  constituents  in 
the  materials  under  examination.  The  ash  of  the  rhizome  equalled 
2  27  per  cent,  and  that  of  the  leaves  2  76  per  cent,  of  the  original 
weight  taken. 
Analysis  showed  calcium  and  potassium  sulphates  and  calcium 
and  iron  phosphates  in  the  ash  of  the  rhizome ;  while  in  that  of  the 
leaves  it  revealed  the  presence  of  potassium  and  calcium  combined 
with  sulphuric  and  hydrochloric  acids,  together  with  iron  and  cal- 
cium phosphates. 
'  Silica  was  found  in  the  ash  of  both. 
The  rhizome  yielded  -74  per  cent,  of  extract  to  the  solvent  action 
of  petroleum  ether,  which  was  the  first  solvent  employed. 
The  extract  was  of  brown  color  and  had  a  waxy  lustre  and  fatty 
odor.  It  was  soluble  in  absolute  alcohol.  When  dissolved  in  petro- 
leum ether  and  the  solvent  spontaneously  evaporated,  the  waxy 
substance  was  deposited  in  a  granular  or  crystalline  form. 
The  corresponding  extract  of  the  leaves  amounting  to  2-52  per 
cent,  was  greenish  black  color,  and  of  semi-solid  consistence.  Abso- 
lute alcohol  dissolved  about  50  per  cent,  of  this  extract,  and  left 
undissolved  a  black  residue  which  was  firm  and  waxy  when  cold. 
That  portion  of  the  extract  which  was  soluble  in  absolute  alcohol 
consisted  mainly  of  resin  and  chlorophyll,  the  former  of  which  was 
precipitated  on  the  addition  of  water.  The  precipitate  was  soluble 
in  solution  of  potassium  hydrate,  and  was  again  obtained  by  acidify- 
ing the  latter. 
Stronger  ether  removed  2  04  per  cent,  of  extract  from  the  rhizome 
and  4-49  per  cent,  from  the  leaves.  The  first  was  a  brown  porous 
substance  having  a  narcotic  odor;  the  second  a  hard  and  brittle 
