400  On  Msculm.  {A^vtw2™" 
ON  J3SCULIN. 
By  Robert  F.  Fairthorne. 
This  principle  is  easily  separated  by  the  following  process  : — A 
quarter  of  a  pound  of  horse-chestnut  bark  in  moderately  fine  powder 
is  moistened  with  half  a  pint  of  a  mixture  composed  of  three  ounces 
of  solution  of  ammonia  (U.  S.  P.),  and  five  ounces  of  water.  This  is 
packed  in  a  glass  percolator,  in  the  neck  of  which  a  plug  of  cotton, 
has  been  placed.  A  pint  and  a  half  of  a  weak  solution  of  ammonia 
is  poured  on  the  bark,  and  allowed  to  pass  slowly  through. 
The  first  half-pint  of  the  liquid  that  displaces  is  set  aside  in  a  cap- 
sule and  evaporated  spontaneously  until  reduced  to  a  syrupy  consist- 
ence. The  remaining  pint  is  brought  to  the  same  condition  as  the 
first  portion,  by  means  of  a  sand-bath  and  gentle  heat.  These  pro- 
ducts are  then  mixed  with  one  and  a  quarter  ounces  of  pure  alumina 
by  rubbing  together  in  a  mortar.  Allow  the  mixture  to  dry,  which 
requires  a  few  hours.  Powder  the  dried  mass,  and  boil  it  for  five  min- 
utes in  a  flask  with  six  ounces  of  alcohol  (95  per  cent).  Filter  this 
whilst  hot,  and  pour  six  ounces  more  of  boiling  alcohol  on  the  residue 
in  the  filter.  Place  the  filtered  liquid  in  an  evaporating  dish,  and  al- 
low it  to  evaporate  spontaneously  until  reduced  to  a  semi-solid  state5 
when  impure  sesculin  will  be  found  in  a  crystalline  condition  contam- 
inated with  some  dark-colored  extractive  matter. 
In  order  to  separate  the  sesculin  from  the  coloring  matter  without 
loss,  mix  two  ounces  of  cold  water  with  it  in  the  capsule,  and  having 
scraped  it  thoroughly  from  the  bottom  of  the  vessel,  pour  it  into  a 
vial.  Add  one  fluid- ounce  of  ether  to  this,  and  agitate  for  a  few  min- 
utes. Allow  it  to  remain  undisturbed  for  twenty-four  hours.  After- 
wards pour  the  mixture  on  a  filter,  and  when  the  dark-colored  fluid 
and  the  ether  have  passed  through,  wash  with  about  two  drachms 
more  of  cold  water. 
The  aesculin  is  now  nearly  pure.  In  order  to  make  it  perfectly  so,, 
all  that  is  necessary  is  to  allow  it  to  dry  in  a  warm  place,  powder  it, 
pass  half  an  ounce  of  pure  benzole  through  it  after  having  been  placed 
on  a  filter  j  then  treat  it  in  the  same  manner  with  an  ounce  of  ether 
so  as  to  remove  any  paviin  that  may  be  present,  that  substance  being 
readily  dissolved  by  ether. 
Sixteen  grains  appears  to  be  the  average  weight  of  the  purified  ac- 
tive principle  obtained  from  4  avoirdupois  ounces  of  the  horse-chest- 
nut bark  by  this  process.    After  trying  various  methods  for  extract- 
