Am'ju°ner;i8oarm'}     Recent  Literature  Relating  to  Pharmacy.  273. 
RECENT  LITERATURE  RELATING  TO  PHARMACY. 
PEUCEDANIN  AND  OREOSELONE. 
E.  Schmidt  reports  (Arc/iiv.  d.  Pharm.,  1898,  662)  the  work  of 
Jasso  and  Haensel  on  these  substances,  found  in  Peucedanum  offi- 
cinale, and  the  subjects  of  much  investigation  and  of  many  con- 
flicting reports.  The  investigators  found  the  melting-point  of  the 
pure  peucedanin  (the  commercial  is  notoriously  impure)  was  990 
and  of  oreoselone  was  17S°-177° •  Analysis  showed  the  formula 
of  peucedanin  was  C15H1404  (confirmed  by  molecular  weight  esti- 
mation), and  of  oreoselone  was  C14H1204.  Peucedanin  contains  a 
methoxyl  group,  and,  when  saponified,  oreoselone  remains ;  hence 
the  formulae  of  the  two  may  be  written  C14Hn03OCH3  and 
C14Hn03OH,  respectively.  Both  substances,  on  treatment  with 
bromine,  yield  the  same  product — monobromoreoselone,  and,  like- 
wise, both,  on  treatment  with  nitric  acid,  yield  mono-nitroso-oreo- 
selone. 
Phenyl  hydrazine  reacts  with  oreoselone  to  form  a  hydrazone, 
proving  presence  of  an  aldehyde  or  ketone  group.  The  indica- 
tions point  to  a  ketone  rather  than  an  aldehyde.  With  peucedanin, 
a  similar  reaction  occurs,  but  the  hydrazone  has  not  yet  been  iso- 
lated. Acetyl  chloride  reacts  with  oreoselone,  forming  a  mono- 
acetyl  derivative.  It  does  not  combine  with  peucedanin,  confirm- 
ing the  theory  that  peucedanin  is  the  methyl  ether  of  the  phenol, 
oreoselone.  Several  complications  presented  themselves  in  the  in- 
vestigation, notably  the  curious  action  of  ammonia  on  nitroso-oreo- 
selone,  rendering  it  impossible  at  present  to  suggest  a  more  graphic 
formula  than  that  given  above. 
The  article  closes  with  a  brief  mention  of  oxy-peucedanin,  a 
constituent  of  commercial  peucedanin.  This  melts  at  140°,  and 
analyzes  to  the  empiric  formula  C30H26O9.  H.  V.  A. 
DIGITOXIN  AND  DIGITALIN. 
H.  Kiliani  (i?.  d.  Dentsch.  Chem.  Ges.}  1898,  2454)  reports  his  con- 
tinued investigations  on  the  above  constituents  of  digitalis. 
He  finds  one  molecule  of  digitoxin  (C34H54On)  hydrolyzes  to  one 
molecule  of  digitoxigenin  (G22H3404)  and  two  molecules  of  an  inter- 
esting sugar — digitoxose  (C(iH1204).  The  composition  of  the  sugar 
is  proven  by  the  derived  oxime  and  the  corresponding  acid.  He 
