5 1 8  American  Pharmaceutical  Association.  {^JpimberfiS?" 
syrupy  consistence,  and  the  evaporation  continued  to  dryness  over  sulphuric 
acid  in  a  vacuum  desiccator. 
The  product  so  obtained  was  found  to  have  identical  properties  with  the  so- 
called  kolanin. 
The  theobromine  was  estimated  and  found  to  be  1*51  per  cent,  of  the  total 
alkaloids  present. 
The  tannin  of  the  kola  they  separated  as  free  tannin  and  combined  tannin, 
the  latter  they  considered  as  existing  "  in  combination  with  the  caffeine  as  the 
so-called  glucoside,"  and  was  separated  by  treatment  of  the  drug  with  lead 
hydroxide  after  the  free  tannin  had  been  removed  by  95  per  cent,  alcohol. 
The  following  were  the  combustion  results  : 
Duplicates. 
Free  Tannin. 
Combined  Tannin. 
I. 
II. 
I. 
II. 
H  
O  
53*36 
5*19 
4i*45 
53*57 
5*28 
4VX5 
55*6i 
5*37 
39*02 
55*78 
5*54 
38*68 
No  discussion  followed  the  summarizing  of  this  paper  by  Professor  Prescott, 
and  the  next  paper  read  was  on 
TARAXACIN. 
By  Iv.  K.  Sayre. 
Continuing  the  investigation  recorded  last  year,  the  author  has  this  time 
devoted  his  time  exclusively  to  the  study  of  the  bitter  principle,  taraxacin. 
Fifty  pounds  of  the  drug  were  extracted  with  chloroform.  The  extract  ob- 
tained from  this  solvent  was  digested  in  alcohol,  the  liquid  decanted,  evapo- 
rated to  a  small  bulk  and  poured  into  an  equal  volume  of  water.  This  watery 
solution,  after  removal  of  alcohol  by  evaporation  and  from  additional  resin  by 
decantation,  contained  the  bitter  principle.  All  proteid  matter  was  removed 
by  alternate  treatment  with  alcohol  and  water  and  nitration.  The  bitter  prin- 
ciple was  capable  of  extraction  from  aqueous  solution  by  agitation  with  immis- 
cible solvents,  like  chloroform  and  ether,  but  they  deposited  it  as  a  gummy 
mass.  It  was  found  that  this  gummy  residue  would  yield  crystals  when  treated 
with  hydrogen  peroxide,  and  a  quantity  of  this  oxidation  product  was  obtained, 
which  the  author  designated  taraxacic  acid.  Quite  a  quantity  of  this  acid  was 
prepared  by  heating  the  impure  bitter  substance  on  a  water-bath  for  some  hours 
with  dilute  nitric  acid,  precipitating  with  lead  acetate,  removing  lead  with 
hydrogen  sulphide.  The  filtrate  from  the  lead  sulphide  was  evaporated  and 
the  taraxacic  acid  crystallized  out.  This  compound  had  an  acid  taste,  but  no 
bitterness,  and  was,  therefore,  considered  distinct  from  the  bitter  principle  ; 
the  latter,  Professor  Sayre  thought,  had  more  the  nature  of  an  aldehyde.  He 
thought  the  practical  results  of  this  paper  might  be  the  discovery  of  a  means 
of  assaying  taraxacum  root,  by  converting  the  bitter  principle  into  taraxacic 
acid,  converting  this  into  a  lead  salt  and  weighing  it  as  such.  "  But,  to  my  dis- 
appointment, on  further  studying  this  acid,  by  observing  its  crystalline  form, 
