1 82  Analysis  of  Poly  gala  Senega.  {Am'l^nJmTm' 
After  exhausting  the  drug  with  distilled  water,  it  was  treated  with 
water,  to  which  was  added  enough  sodium  hydrate  solution  to  make 
the  menstruum  distinctly  alkaline.  Three  macerations,  of  twenty- 
four  hours  each,  practically  exhausted  the  drug.  The  infusion  had 
the  appearance  of  an  emulsion,  due  to  the  saponification  of  the  fats 
and  resins.  It  was  evaporated  at  a  very  low  temperature,  on  a  water 
bath,  acidified  with  acetic  acid,  and  then  precipitated  with  5  volumes 
of  95  per  cent,  alcohol,  resins  and  oil  being  held  in  solution. 
After  draining,  this  precipitate  was  suspended  in  1  per  cent,  solution 
of  sulphuric  acid,  and  boiled  during  two  hours.  The  filtered  liquid 
reduced  Fehling's  solution;  with  phenyl-hydrazine-acetate  when 
treated  as  before,  it  formed  only  a  slight  precipitate  of  an  osazone 
after  twenty-four  hours'  standing.  This  indicated  that  only  a  small 
amount  of  the  alkali  portion  consisted  of  pectin. 
Lastly,  the  remaining  drug  was  exhausted  with  boiling  distilled 
water,  evaporated  as  above,  and  precipitated  with  95  per  cent,  alco- 
hol ;  the  precipitate  was  heavy  and  gelatinous.  This  was  suspended 
in  water  containing  1  per  cent,  sulphuric  acid,  as  before  ;  after  boil- 
ing, a  residue  remained  undissolved.  The  filtered  supernatant 
liquid  reduced  Fehling's  solution  readily,  and  gave  a  compara- 
tively large  amount  of  osazone  when  treated  with  phenyl-hydrazine- 
acetate. 
The  substance,  which  was  not  redissolved  in  the  acidulated  water, 
was  found  to  be  insoluble  in  all  solvents  tried,  also  in  alkaline  or 
acid  solution. 
In  order  to  determine  the  amount  of  nitrogen  in  the  drug,  I  esti- 
mated 1  gramme  by  the  Kjeldahl  method;  the  yield  was  2-33 
per  cent,  of  nitrogen,  corresponding  to  14*56  per  cent,  of  albumin- 
oids, the  factor  employed  being  6-25. 
Thinking  this  to  be  a  rather  large  amount,  I  made  another  esti- 
mation of  0-50  grammes  by  combustion  with  soda-lime.  By  this 
method  I  obtained  3-6  per  cent,  of  nitrogen,  corresponding  to  22  50 
per  cent,  of  albuminoids.  A  second  estimation  yielded  exactly  the 
same  amount. 
With  a  view  of  determining  whether  or  not  this  large  amount  of 
nitrogen  could  be  due  to  the  presence  of  asparagin,  I  made  an 
examination  for  the  latter  by  DragendorfT's  method. 
When  the  liquid  was  boiled  with  diluted  HC1  to  decompose  the 
asparagin,  a  heavy  precipitate  separated  out.     The  supernatant 
