Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1894. 
Myrica  Asplenifolia. 
217 
The  extract  from  a  kilogram  of  the  rhizome,  prepared  as  in  the 
case  of  the  leaves,  when  poured  into  water  gave  a  yellowish  granu- 
lar precipitate.  This  was  dissolved  in  alcohol,  and  upon  spon- 
taneous evaporation  of  that  liquid  was  obtained  as  a  crystalline 
resin  along  with  some  amorphous  resinous  matter  and  a  granular 
whitish  substance.  The  last  was  found  to  be  insoluble  in  cold 
alcohol  after  it  had  been  separated  from  the  resinous  substances. 
A  hot  alcoholic  solution  of  it  was  digested  with  animal  charcoal  and 
then  filtered.  Upon  cooling,  the  principle  was  obtained  in  white 
flakes.  The  crystalline  and  amorphous  resinous  substances  were 
treated  with  petroleum  ether  to  remove  waxy  matter  and  then  dis- 
solved in  alcohol. 
The  alcoholic  solution  was  decolorized  by  animal  charcoal,  and, 
upon  concentration,  the  filtrate  separated  stellate  groups  of  colorless 
crystals.    These  melted  between  200  and  205 0  C. 
The  absence  of  nitrogen  in  these  crystals  arid  in  the  white  sub- 
stance was  proven  by  heating  them  with  metallic  sodium,  treating 
the  fused  mass  with  water,  adding  ferric  and  ferrous  salts  and  then 
supersaturating  the  alkali  with  hydrochloric  acid,  whereby  no  ferric 
ferrocyanide  was  produced.  The  average  of  the  two  combustions 
made  of  the  crystals  was  : 
Carbon,   76"  16 
Hydrogen,   10*43 
Oxygen,   13-41 
When  the  white  substance  was  heated  in  a  paraffin  bath  to 
25  0  C.j  it  shrunk  and  became  gray,  but  did  not  melt.  When  heated 
on  platinum  foil,  it  fused  to  a  dark  liquid  and  was  completely  con- 
sumed with  the  production  of  a  luminous  flame.  It  was  identical 
with  the  substance  noticed  in  the  ethereal  extract  and  was  undoubt- 
edly the  granular  substance  noticed  by  Peacock  (loc.  cit.)  during 
his  investigation  of  the  same  extract  The  white  flaky  substance 
was  submitted  to  ultimate  analysis  ;  the  following  is  the  average 
of  three  combustions : 
Carbon,    73-50 
Hydrogen,   11-53 
IOO'OO 
Oxygen, 
14-97 
IOO'OO 
The  carbon  showed  signs  of  increasing  with  further  purification, 
but  lack  of  material  prevented  further  work  on  the  compound. 
