CARDAMINE AMARA, HORSERADISH, ETC. 
45 
Fresh roots of horseradish, which even on grating disen- 
gaged a volatile oil, lost their acridity on being heated for 
some time in the water-bath under alcohol. The alcohol 
which distilled over was not acrid, and contained no vola- 
tile oil, for it was not rendered turbid by water. The 
spirituous extract deposited, on distilling off the alcohol, a 
dirty green fatty mass, which was removed. The remain- 
ing filtered aqueous liquid left on evaporation an amor- 
phous brownish-yellow residue. Alcohol of 0-863 spec, 
grav. dissolved a portion, leaving an insoluble residue of 
sugar; the solution, on being again evaporated with myro- 
sine from mustard seed, disengaged oil of horseradish, and 
still contained sugar, for on oxidation there was formed 
along with sulphuric acid some oxalic acid. 
Absolute alcohol removed a substance from this mass 
without acquiring any perceptible color, and which collected 
in the form of a powder over the smeary sediment, and 
was separated by decantation. This latter substance will 
undoubtedly prove to be highly interesting, and the author 
promises to furnish a more accurate examination of it. 
From the experiments hitherto made, it appears to be a 
combination of sugar with potash, which seems to be com- 
bined with myronic acid in the horseradish. In the treat- 
ment above described this acid could be detected, by means 
of myrosine, in the smeary sediment beneath the absolute 
alcohol after it had been dissolved in water, whilst the alco- 
hol contained no compound of myronic acid, but first took 
up the compound of sugar and potash and then deposited 
it, and on the addition of an alcoholic solution of potash 
deposited still more of the compound in the form of a snowy- 
white powder; there was still more sugar and potash con- 
tained in the smeary sediment. This sugar could not be 
obtained crystallized after separation from potash by means 
of sulphuric acid and removing the excess of acid by baryta. 
The compound of sugar and potash dissolves in hot alco- 
hol when no excess of potash is present, which renders it 
