580 
Ado7iis  Vernalis. 
f  Am.  Jour.  Pharm^ 
1      Nov.,  1885. 
dant  precipitation  of  tannate.  The  ordinary  alkaloidal  reagents  pro- 
duce neither  coloration  nor  precipitate.  When  a  solution  is  heated 
with  Fehling's  solution  at  first  only  a  green  color  results,  due  to  the 
combination  of  the  blue  and  yellow  liquids ;  but  if  a  few  drops  of 
hydrochloric  acid  be  added,  and  the  heating  be  continued,  the  cupro- 
potassic  liquid  undergoes  reduction.  The  product  of  this  decompo- 
sition has  not  been  specially  studied  by  the  author.  Whatever  thi& 
may  be,  when  the  adonidin  is  decomposed  there  is  a  precipitation  of  a 
small  quantity  of  resinous  matter,  soluble  in  ether,  whilst  at  the  same 
time  a  very  sharp  and  persistent  odor  is  developed,  that  may  be  com- 
pared, as  before  stated,  to  cut  hay. 
When  ignited  on  platinum  foil  adonidin  burns  without  leaving  a 
trace  of  residue.  The  author  failed  to  detect  the  presence  of  nitrogen 
in  the  pure  glucoside.  Twenty  centigrams  heated  with  potassium 
yielded  no  trace  of  cyanide. 
The  imperfect  crystallizability  of  adonidin  and  its  readiness  to 
undergo  decomposition  have  hitherto  prevented  the  author  from  mak- 
ing a  satisfactory  elementary  analysis  upon  which  to  base  a  formula; 
but  he  gives  the  following  centesimal  composition  as  the  mean  of  sev- 
eral experiments:  C=42-i323  ;  H=7-547 ;  0=49-830. 
Pharmacology. — The  author  concludes  his  paper  with  a  section  on 
the  pharmacology  of  the  plant.  As  the  posology  is  as  yet  incompletely 
worked  out,  this  is  necessarily  imperfect.  Taking,  however,  as  a  basis 
the  doses  of  infusion  administered  by  Bubnoif  to  his  patients,  the 
author  gives  the  following  formuke  for  preparation  : 
Boil  the  water  and  pour  it  upon  tlie  herb,  and  allow  it  to  infuse  for  about 
ten  niinutes. 
This  infusion  constitutes  a  clear  chestnut-brown  solution,  with  a 
yellow  fluorescence.  The  taste  is  at  first  barely  perceptible,  the  first 
sensation  experienced  being  that  of  a  slightly  sweetened  liquid ;  but  if 
the  contact  with  the  palate  be  continued  a  very  disagreeable  and  espe- 
cially persistent  bitter  becomes  perceptible. 
Infusion  of  Adonis  Vernalis. 
Dried  leaves  and  stalks 
Distilled  water  
100 
2  grams. 
Aqueous  Extract  of  Adonis  Vernalis. 
Stalks  and  leaves. 
Distilled  water.... 
500  grams 
4,000 
