ON  CAPSICUM  ANNUUM. 
305 
of  the  coldest  days  of  the  present  winter ;  it  was  solid,  consisting 
of  tufts  of  aggregated  acicular  crystals  much  matted  together,, 
without  any  supernatant  liquid ;  the  second  crop  consisted  of  a 
few  well  defined,  distinct,  acicular  crystals,  surrounded  by  an  ap- 
parently uncrystallizable  liquid  of  a  yellowish  red  color.  The 
crystals  were  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  chloroform,  oil  of  turpen- 
tine, and  caustic  potash.  Heated  on  platinum  foil  they  first 
melt,  then  take  fire,  burning  with  a  bright  rose-colored  flame, 
and  then  passing  into  a  dense  white  vapor,  which  is  very  pungent 
and  suffocating.  Heated  with  sulphuric  acid  they  blacken  and 
give  off  white  fumes.  Its  taste  is  excessively  fiery,  inflaming 
all  parts  with  which  it  comes  in  contact.  Its  odor,  though  similar 
to  the  fruit,  is  faint. 
Experiment  2d. — Two  ounces  of  the  same  capsicum  was 
treated  with  alcohol,  sp.  gr.  .835  by  displacement,  and  allowed 
to  evaporate  spontaneously ;  the  amount  of  extract  was  271 
grains ;  half  of  this  was  treated  with  ether,  which  left  an  insoluble 
residue  resembling  gum,  which  was  separated,  and  found  to  be 
soluble  in  water  and  to  precipitate  with  subacetate  of  lead.  The 
ethereal  solution  was  evaporated  to  the  consistence  of  an  extract, 
then  dissolved  in  alcohol,  and  the  alcoholic  solution  freated  with 
subacetate  of  lead,  as  in  the  foregoing  experiment.  This  threw 
down  a  large  precipitate  which  was  separated  by  filtration,  the 
filtrate  was  treated  several  times  successively  with  sulphuretted 
hydrogen,  which  separated  the  lead,  filtered  as  before,  and 
allowed  to  evaporate  spontaneously.  The  resulting  semifluid 
mass  was  yellow,  with  the  fiery  taste  of  capsicum,  and  its  charac- 
teristic odor  combined  with  that  of  acetic  acid.  It  was  apparently 
quite  uncrystallizable,  and  volatilized  in  the  form  of  a  white  vapor, 
insupportably  pungent  and  irritating.  It  was  found  to  be  soluble 
in  alcohol,  and  ammonia  added  to  the  alcoholic  solution  failed  to 
throw  down  a  precipitate.  It  was  insoluble  in  acetic  acid,  sp.  gr. 
1.041 ;  with  caustic  potash  it  formed  a  solution  in  which  an  excess 
of  acetic  acid  produced  a  yellowish  pulverulent  precipitate  sus- 
pended through  it. 
Experiment  3d  A  portion  of  powdered  capsicum  was  digested 
with  water  in  a  tin  retort,  connected  with  a  suitable  receiver;  to 
this  heat  was  applied  and  the  distillate  carefully  collected  ;  it  had 
a  pungent  taste,  with  a  characteristic,  though  empyreumatic  odor. 
20 
