Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
April,  1896. 
Opiintia  Vulgaris,  Mill. 
173 
solvents,  in  order  to  extract  and  separate  the  proximate  principles 
contained  therein.  These  solvents  were  applied  in  successive  por- 
tions until  they  no  longer  exerted  sufficient  action  to  warrant  their 
further  application.  After  having  been  left  in  contact  with  it  for  the 
proper  time,  the  solvents  were  removed  from  the  undissolved  pow- 
der. The  successive  portions  of  the  same  solvent  were  united  as 
they  were  obtained  from  this  treatment.  In  the  cases  of  the  petro- 
leum ether,  ether  and  absolute  alcohol  extracts,  the  whole  bulk  of 
liquid  was  distilled  to  dryness  on  a  water  bath,  with  the  view  of 
recovering  the  solvents  and  of  obtaining  the  extracted  matter  in  a 
form  in  which  it  could  be  weighed.  Each  of  the  three  aqueous 
extracts  was  adjusted  to  a  definite  volume,  and  its  contents  of  total 
solids  determined  by  evaporating  an  aliquot  part  of  the  volume  to  a 
constant  weight  on  a  water  bath.  The  residue  so  obtained  was 
incinerated,  in  order  to  ascertain  the  amount  of  inorganic  constitu- 
ents, so  that  the  deduction  of  their  weight  from  the  total  solids 
;  would  give  the  amount  of  organic  solids.  The  ashes  of  petroleum 
ether,  ether  and  absolute  alcohol  extracts  are  usually  so  slight  that 
they  were  disregarded  in  this  work.  After  the  last  portion  of 
petroleum  ether  had  been  poured  off  from  the  undissolved  powder, 
the  latter  was  freed  from  the  last  traces  of  the  solvent  before  the  use 
of  ether  (which  was  the  next  solvent  to  be  applied),  by  rotating  the 
flask  containing  the  powder  on  a  hot  water  bath.  This  operation 
was  repeated  after  the  use  of  ether  and  of  absolute  alcohol,  respec- 
tively. But,  for  obvious  reasons,  such  a  procedure  was  unnecessary 
after  the  treatment  with  water,  alkaline  water  and  acidulated  water. 
Petroleum  ether  removed  extract  to  the  extent  of  2- 16  per  cent. 
This  extract  was  semi-solid.  It  readily  liquefied  at  the  water  bath 
temperature.  The  extract  was  treated  with  hot  alcohol.  This  sol- 
vent made  known  the  presence  of  a  wax  which  was  but  sparingly 
soluble  in  it.  Repeated  treatment  with  hot  alcohol  finally  dissolved 
the  wax  and  left  some  caoutchouc. 
Ether  extracted  from  the  fruit  -8i  per  cent,  of  brown,  resinous 
substance,  which  had  a  slightly  bitter  taste.  The  extract  was 
treated  with  water,  slightly  acidulated  with  sulphuric  acid  ;  this 
liquid  dissolved  one-half  of  it.  Neither  Mayer's  reagent,  potassium 
tri-iodide  nor  picric  acid,  when  added  to  this  solution,  gave  any  evi- 
dence of  alkaloids,  nor  did  treatment  with  Fehling's  solution,  either 
before  or  after  the  boiling  of  the  acidulated  solution,  serve  to  indi- 
