28o 
Tannin  of  Punica  Granatum. 
Am.  Jour.Phario. 
June,  1894. 
THE  TANNIN  OF  PUNICA  GRANATUM. 
By  John  Culley,  Ph.G. 
Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. 
No.  135. 
Considerable  difficulty  was  experienced  in  obtaining  a  good 
quality  of  the  drug,  which  appears  to  be  but  little  used  in  this  section. 
Before  taking  up  the  study  of  the  special  constituent,  it  was  thought 
desirable  to  subject  the  bark  to  the  action  of  solvents,  that  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  proximate  composition  of  the  sample  under  examination 
might  be  gained  thereby. 
The  following  are  the  summarized  results  of  the  analysis  : 
Per  Cent. 
Benzol  Extract, 
Fat,  fixed  oil,  wax  and  caoutchouc,   76 
Stronger  Ether  Extract, 
Crystalline  resin  and  chlorophyll,   '30 
Absolute  Alcohol  Extract, 
Tannin,  gallic  acid,  alkaloids  and  glucose,   9*93 
Distilled  Water  Extract, 
Glucose,  mucilage,  dextrin  and  extractive,    12*35 
Alkaline  (0*2  per  cent.  Sodium  Hydrate),  Water  Extract, 
Pectin,  albumen oids  and  extractive,   6*26 
Acidulated  (0*2  per  cent.  Hydrochloric  Acid)  Water  Extract, 
Pararabin,  calcium  oxalate  and  undetermined,   7*62 
Chlorine  Water, 
Ivignin,   8*93 
Cellulose,   31-89 
Moisture,   870 
Ash,   10-56 
IyOSS,   2.70 
Total,  100*00 
EXTRACTION  AND  PURIFICATION  OF  THE  TANNIN. 
Acting  on  the  advice  of  Professor  Henry  Trimble,  acetone  was 
selected  as  the  solvent  for  extracting  the  tannin. 
The  ground  bark  was  percolated  with  acetone,  the  solvent  recov- 
ered, the  extract  treated  with  water  and  the  resinous  principles  fil- 
tered off.  The  filtrate  was  shaken  with  several  successive  portions 
of  ether,  which  were  separated  from  the  aqueous  layer,  mixed,  and 
spontaneously  evaporated. 
The  residue,  left  after  the  dissipation  of  the  solvent,  was  treated 
