Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
October,  1914. 
Analyses  of  Two  Echinacea  Roots. 
453 
tion  of  -32.460,  which  is  that  recorded  7  for  "  sinistrin,"  this  would 
represent  5.55  per  cent,  of  the  plant.  The  solution,  freed  from  lead 
and  hydrolyzed,  showed  the  presence  of  a  quantity  of  lsevulose  equiv- 
alent to  5.94  per  cent.  "  inuloid-like  material,"  indicating  the  non- 
carbohydrate  nature  of  the  lead  subacetate  precipitate. 
Inulin  was  determined  by  the  method  of  DragendorfT  8  wherein 
the  plant  is  extracted  with  water  55 0  to  60  0  and  the  inulin  precip- 
itated with  three  volumes  of  alcohol.  The  inulin  was  determined  by 
determining  the  lsevulose  formed  when  this  precipitate  was  hy- 
drolyzed. A  correction  of  0.1  gm.  per  100  c.c.  of  the  volume  of  the 
filtrate  was  made  for  the  solubility  of  the  inulin.  Whether  or  not 
this  inulin  precipitate  included  any  of  the  material  determined  as 
"  inuloid  "  was  not  established.  The  following  table  gives  the  results 
of  the  various  estimations  of  alcohol  insoluble  carbohydrates  : 
Determination  of  the  Alcohol  Soluble  Carbohydrates  by  Polari- 
se 0  pic  methods. — One  hundred  grammes  of  B.  angustifolia  were  com- 
pletely extracted  with  hot  alcohol.  The  combined  alcoholic  extracts 
were  concentrated  under  diminished  pressure  to  a  volume  of  200  c.c. 
An  aliquot  of  this  solution,  equivalent  to  74  grammes  of  the  root, 
after  the  complete  removal  of  the  alcohol,  was  taken  up  in  water, 
clarified  with  an  excess  of  lead  subacetate,  and  made  up  to  a  volume 
of  100  c.c.  This  solution  showed  a  rotation  of  -  2.20  in  a  2  dcm.  tube 
at  220  C. 
Fifty  cubic  centimetres  of  the  filtrate  from  the  lead  subacetate 
precipitation  was  freed  from  the  lead  and  inverted  by  standing  with 
5  c.c.  hydrochloric  acid  for  24  hours.  The  solution  was  neutralized 
and  made  up  to  100  c.c.  It  showed  a  rotation  of  -  13.250  in  a 
2  dcm.  tube  at  220  C,  and  of  -  6.8°  at  86°  C.  in  a  2  dcm.  tube.  These 
readings  are  on  the  Ventzke  scale. 
Converting  these  readings  to  the  calculated  rotations  of  a  normal 
solution  (26  Gm.  in  100  c.c),  we  have:  direct  reading  at  220  C.  of 
-0.770  ;  invert  at  220  C.  of  -9.310  ;  and  invert  reading  at  86.°  C. 
of  -  4.780.  The  percentage  of  sucrose  calculated  by  Clerget's  formula 
7  DragendorfT,  "  Plant  Analysis,"  p.  67. 
8  "  Plant  Analysis,"  p.  87. 
9  "  Biochem.  Handlexikon,"  2,  189. 
B.  angustifolia. 
B.  purpurea. 
not  determined 
9.16% 
Inulin 
Inuloid' 
5-9% 
5.94,  6.14% 
