426  Contributions  to  Vegetable  Chemistry.  {AMsepUi 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
1874. 
color  of  the  leaves  has  undergone  any  perceptible  change,  is  very 
easily  alterable.  Isopyrum  thalyctro'ides,  at  its  blossoming  time,  gives 
two  alkaloids,  one  crystalline,  the  other  amorphous ;  but  in  autumn, 
when  the  green  part  of  the  plant  is  withered,  the  former  disappears, 
whilst  the  latter  occurs  in  larger  quantity.  This  is  an  important  fact 
for  the  technical  preparation  of  alkaloids,  especially  with  such  sub- 
stances as  opium,  which  contain  several  alkaloids. 
Examination  of  Agaricm  fasciculatus  and  Lactarius  deliciosus. — 
The  fungus  is  pressed  and  treated  with  alcohol,  in  order  to  remove 
water,  then  macerated  with  a  mixture  of  alcohol,  and  the  ether 
removed  from  the  extract  by  distillation.  On  cooling,  the  alcoholic 
solution  which  remains  deposits  crystals,  which  are  freed  from  fat  by 
boiling  alcohol.  By  means  of  ether  the  crystals  may  be  separated 
into  mycosterin  and  myeoraphin,  the  latter  of  which  is  more  soluble. 
The  exhausted  fungus  still  yields  some  mycosterin  by  treatment  with 
benzene.  Both  substances  are  soluble  in  water,  difficultly  soluble  in 
cold  alcohol.  Mycosterin  crystallizes  in  small  nodules  or  spherules, 
consisting  of  concentrically  grouped  needles.  Myeoraphin  crystal- 
lizes in  two  forms,  from  alcohol  in  plates,  and  from  ether  in  thin 
needles,  which  are  colored  red  when  heated  with  concentrated  sul- 
phuric acid.  It  is  possible  that  Gobley's  agaracin  is  a  mixture  of 
these  two  substances. 
Preparation  of  Pure   Chlorophyll.  Finely  chopped  ivy  leaves 
(Hedera  helix)  are  made  into  a  paste  with  spirit  of  55°,  and  pressed 
after  twelve  hours.  This  removes  the  water,  a  bitter  substance 
{helicin),  and  a  saponifiable  compound.  The  pressed  leaves  are  now 
soaked  in  benzene  for  twenty-four  hours,  and  the  benzene  is  removed 
from  the  expressed  solution  by  distillation.  The  dark  brown  fatty 
residue,  amounting  to  2J  per  cent,  of  the  leaves,  is  treated  with  a 
solution  of  sodium  hydrate,  filtered,  and  precipitated  by  common  salt. 
The  precipitate,  after  being  washed  with  a  salt  solution,  is*dissolved 
in  water,  and  precipitated  with  a  solution  of  copper  sulphate.  This 
precipitate,  after  being  washed  and  dried,  is  boiled  with  absolute 
alcohol,  and  then  washed  with  ether  and  benzene ;  this  treatment 
removes  the  copper  soap,  and  leaves  the  compound  of  chlorophyll 
with  copper  oxide.  Finally,  the  latter  is  suspended  in  alcohol,  and 
decomposed  by  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  On  evaporating  the  solution, 
the  chlorophyll  is  left  of  a  very  dark  green  color,  almost  black,  and 
quite  free  from  fatty  matter.    It  is  soluble  in  hydrochloric  acid  and 
