Podophyllum  peltatum  Linne.  {Aljam 
Table  VII. 
The  Ash  Content  of  the  Resin  of  Podophyllum  peltatum  and  the  Percentage 
of  Resin  Soluble  in  Various  Solvents. 
ooluble  in 
Material 
Lot  number 
Ash  (per  cent.). 
Alcohol 
Ether 
Chloroform 
(per  cent.). 
(per  cent.). 
(per  cent.). 
 — 
Rhizome  .... 
I  . 
0-739 
98.68 
78.32 
71.00 
2 
0-377 
99.12 
80.03 
73-25 
3 
1.676 
93-68 
71.01 
62.68 
4 
2.049 
91.80 
70.50 
62.75 
5 
1.566 
91.16 
70.50 
62.30 
6 
0.731 
98.51 
77.00 
68.50 
Roots  
la 
0.393 
98.31 
74-22 
68.25 
2a 
0.208 
99-75 
76.08 
70.00 
2,a 
0.362 
98.13 
73.00 
60.00 
4a 
1. 150 
97-47 
68.46 
58.75 
Sa 
0.481 
93-8o 
69.13 
61.14 
6a 
0.418 
98.32 
73-31 
66.23 
When  treated  with  hot  water  lots  Nos.  1,  2,  3,  6,  la,  2a,  and  6a 
went  into  practically  complete  solution.  The  remainder  of  the  lots 
could  not  be  wholly  dissolved  in  hot  water  with  several  minutes' 
boiling.  Like  results  were  obtained  with  sodium  hydroxide  and 
with  potassium  hydroxide  except  that  all  the  lots  were  soluble  when 
the  alkaline  solution  was  heated. 
The  Pharmacopoeia  directs  that  resin  of  podophyllum  should 
contain  not  over  1.5  per  cent,  of  ash.  Three  of  the  samples  of 
resin  from  the  rhizome  contain  more  than  1.5  per  cent,  of  ash,  while 
all  the  resins  from  the  roots  contain  considerably  less  than  1.5  per 
cent,  of  ash,  in  fact  with  one  exception,  that  of  lot  4a,  they  all  con- 
tain less  than  0.5  per  cent.  Those  resins  in  which  the  ash  content 
is  above  1.5  per  cent,  do  not  conform  closely  to  the  other  Pharma- 
copceial  requirements.  It  is  quite  probable  that  the  requirements 
were  drawn  for  podophyllum  and  the  resin  of  podophyllum  with  the 
mid-season  collected  material  in  mind. 
A  small  percentage  in  every  sample  examined  was  found  insol- 
uble in  alcohol.  This  percentage  of  insoluble  resin  increased  with 
the  growing  season  and  was  greatest  when  the  aerial  part  of  the 
plant  had  reached  its  maximum  growth  and  was  beginning  to  die 
away.  Like  solubility  results  were  obtained  with  ether  and  with 
chloroform. 
Summary  and  Conclusions. — Six  samples  of  Podophyllum  pel- 
tatum were  collected  in  Fond  du  Lac  and  Green  Lake  Counties, 
