378  Anthemis  Cotula— Chemical  Investigation.       { A^g 'isss'™' 
acid  reaction,  8nd  formed  salts  with  calcium  and  potassium.  The 
undissolved  portion  of  the  extract  was  then  dissolved  in  water,  and 
with  appropriate  treatment  yielded  a  very  small  amount  of  crystalliz- 
able  alkaloid,  which  gave  copious  precipitates  with  Mayer's  test  and 
bromine  water. 
Extraction  of  Oil. — A,  portion  of  the  fresh  flowers  was  first  distilled 
with  about  25  liters  of  water  in  successive  portions  of  about  5  kilo- 
grams until  30  kilograms  of  the  flowers  had  been  distilled.  The  oil 
was  entirely  dissolved  in  the  water  and  failed  to  separate,  even  after 
standing  in  a  cool  place  for  several  days.  It  was  then  extracted  with 
ether,  the  etherial  solution  dried  thoroughly  with  chloride  of  calcium, 
and  the  ether  distilled  ofl",  when  a  residue  of  about  4  grams  of  the  oil 
was  obtained.  It  was  of  a  beautiful  green  color,  which  was  imdoubt- 
edly  due  to  chlorophyll  extracted  along  with  the  oil.  The  ether  was 
then  recovered  from  the  water  used  in  the  first  distillation  and  the 
water  again  distilled  with  more  flowers.  Successive  portions  of  about 
4  kilograms  of  the  fresh  flowers  were  used,  and  enough  water  added 
from  time  to  time  to  keep  the  amount  at  20  liters.  Eleven  charges 
were  distilled  in  this  way,  and  46  kilograms  of  the  flowers  used  before 
any  oil  made  its  appearance  on  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  then  only 
a  very  minute  quantity  was  observed.  The  oil  was  then  extracted 
with  ether,  as  before,  and  the  ether  distilled  off*,  when  about  6  grams 
of  the  oil  was  obtained.  This  oil  was  of  a  deep  straw  color  or  brown. 
The  total  amount  of  oil  obtained  from  7(3  kilograms  of  the  flowers  was 
10  grams,  or  '013  per  cent.,  equal  to  about  '052  per  cent,  from  dried 
flowers. 
A  third  distillation  was  also  made  in  the  month  of  August,  while 
the  plant  was  fully  in  blossom,  using  the  whole  fresh  plant.  This  was 
distilled  in  successive  portions  of  about  20  kilograms,  with  about  60 
liters  of  water,  until  175  kilograms  had  been  distilled.  After  the 
fifth  portion  had  been  distilled  a  very  small  amount  of  oil  was  observed 
on  the  surface  of  the  water  at  each  distillation,  but  not  enough  so  that 
it  could  be  removed.  The  whole  of  the  distillate  finally  had  to  be 
extracted  with  ether  as  before,  and  after  drying  the  etherial  solution 
and  distilling  off  the  ether,  about  17-5  grams  of  the  oil  was  obtained, 
or  about  '01  per  cent.  This  oil  w^as  a  trifle  more  reddish  in  color  than 
that  obtained  from  the  flowers,  but  proved  to  be  identical  with  it. 
The  oil  seemed  to  be  partially  decomposed  by  continually  redistilling 
the  distillate  with  more  of  the  plant,  in  the  above  manner  ;  for  the 
