230 
CoUinsonia  Canadensis. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm^ 
1       May,  1885. 
an  almost  unweighable  ash  remained,  which  proved  to  be  principally 
carbonate  of  potassium.  From  the  remaining  filtrate  the  alcohol  was 
distilled  off  and  the  residue  carefully  dried  over  sulphuric  acid.  The 
yield  was  a  slightly  bitter  extract,  in  which  tannin,  which  turned  ferric 
salts  greenish  black  and  precipitated  gelatin,  was  present,  but  no  alka- 
loid could  be  found. 
The  powder  remaining  from  the  last  operation  was  then  macerated 
for  twenty-four  hours  with  500  cc.  of  water,  the  infusion  filtered  off, 
and  the  dregs  washed  with  sufficient  water  to  bring  it  up  to  500  cc. 
On  evaporating  a  portion  of  this  liquid  it  yielded  an  extract  equal  in 
weight  to  10  per  cent,  of  the  original  quantity  of  the  drug  employed;, 
20  cc.  of  this  infusion  was  mixed  with  tAvice  its  volume  of  alcohol, 
when  a  precipitate  was  formed  weighing  '02  gram.  This  precipitate 
dissolved  in  water  did  not  reduce  Feh ling's  solution  until  it  had  been 
boiled  with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid.  Its  concentrated  solution  pre- 
cipitated basic  acetate  of  lead  (vegetable  mucilage). 
A  portion  of  the  root  on  being  boiled  with  water  gave,  on  the  addi- 
tion of  a  solution  of  iodine,  an  intensely  blue  color  (starch). 
Leaves. — Ten  grams  of  the  powdered  leaves  were  treated  in  the 
same  manner  as  the  rhizome,  excepting  a  larger  proportion  of  men- 
struum was  used  in  each  case.  The  petroleum  spirit  yielded  '3  gram, 
or  3  per  cent,  of  extract  consisting  of  waxy  matter  soluble  in  boiling 
alcohol,  a  caoutchouc-like  substance  soluble  in  ether,  and  a  trace  of 
volatile  oil.  The  etherial  tincture  yielded  '44  gram,  equal  to  4*4  per 
cent,  of  extract,  which  had  little  taste  and  odor,  and  on  being  triturated 
with  sand  and  cold  water  gave  a  slightly  yellowish  brown  solution, 
colored  greenish  black  on  the  addition  of  ferric  chloride.  A  few  drops 
of  acetic  acid  Avere  then  added  to  the  liquid,  which,  together  with  the 
resin,  was  triturated  for  a  few  minutes,  allowed  to  stand  for  two  hours,, 
and  filtered.  This  liquid  did  not  show  any  indication  of  an  alkaloid 
upon  the  application  of  the  various  tests.  The  alcoholic  tincture 
yielded  '47  gram  of  a  dark  green  extract  containing  tannin  and  chloro- 
phyll, but  no  trace  of  an  alkaloid. 
About  16  lbs.  of  fresh  leaves,  collected  when  the  plant  was  in  full 
blossom,  were  distilled,  yielding  one  drachm  of  a  very  light  yellow 
volatile  oil  of  a  pleasant  lemon- like  odor. 
From  the  foregoing  meagre  experiments  the  rhizome  is  shown  to 
contain  a  resin  soluble  in  ether  and  partly  soluble  in  alcohol,  vegetable 
wax,  tannin,  mucilage  and  starch;  and  the  leaves  resin,  chlorophyll^ 
