136  Earth  Sugar  Root  of  the  Tamils.  \^*£&J&St!*' 
strong  alcohol,  the  dark  compound  is  dissolved  and  a  green  color 
developed.  The  addition  of  a  single  drop  of  a  strong  sodium 
hydrate  solution  causes  an  immediate  purple-violet  coloration,  while 
from  the  object  separate  minute  deep-red  granules;  the  color  first 
forms  in  the  outer  portion  and  travels  inward.  After  10-15  minutes 
a  yellow  precipitate  remains ;  the  addition  of  water  notably  hastens 
this  change.  From  the  behavior  towards  these  reagents  it  follows 
that  the  coriamyrtin  is  present  in  all  parts  of  the  mesophyll. — Dr.  T. 
F.  Hanausek,  Pharm.  Post,  1892,  1333. 
Constituents  of  gutta-percha. — (1)  Gutta,  a  white,  amorphous  hydro- 
carbon (Cl0H16)n,  melting  at  530  C,  soluble  in  chloroform,  carbon  disul- 
phide,  fixed  and  volatile  oils  and  in  hydrocarbons  altered  by  light  and 
air,  forming  a  yellow,  friable  mass  partly  soluble  in  alkalies  and  alcohol 
and  incompletely  soluble  in  the  first-mentioned  solvents.  (2)  Alban7 
C40H64O2>  melts  at  195 0  C,  soluble  in  hot  alcohol  (upon  cooling 
separates  in  small,  lustrous  scales)  and  the  usual  solvents,  but  insoluble 
in  water  and  alkalies  ;  heating  with  alcoholic  potassic  hydrate  solu- 
tion yields  a  hydrocarbon  albene.  (3)  Fluavil,  friable,  yellow,  amor- 
phous (C10H16O)m  melts  at  8  2-8  5 0  C;  has  the  same  solubilities  as 
alban.  (4)  Guttan,  an  unstable  compound,  in  many  respects  resembling 
gutta.  These  constituents  obtained  from  an  authentic  sample  of 
gutta-percha  from  Payena  Leerii  are  identical  with  those  obtained 
from  the  commercial  article.  Of  the  constituents  gutta  is  the  one 
showing  the  characteristic  plasticity  of  gutta-percha  ;  alban  does 
not  interfere  in  the  value  of  the  gutta-percha,  while  the  presence  of 
any  considerable  quantity  of  fluavil  makes  its  brittle.  All  of  these 
substances  are  indifferent  to  the  ordinary  chemical  reagents  ;  but 
the  alteration  of  the  gutta  and  guttan  by  exposure  to  light  and 
air,  also  to  electrical  influences,  causes  a  deterioration  of  the  gutta- 
percha, although  it  is  not  possible  to  say  at  present  if  these  decom- 
position products  are  related  to  fluavil  and  alban. — Otto  Qesterle, 
Arch,  der  Pharm.,  1892,  641. 
THE  -  EARTH  SUGAR"  ROOT  OF  THE  TAMILS.* 
By  David  Hooper. 
The  sweet  roots  used  in  Indian  medicine  chiefly  belong  to  plants 
of  the  natural  order  Leguminosae,  and  consist  of  Glycyrrhiza  gla- 
1  Phar  Jour,  and  Trans.,  Jan.  7,  189,-!,,  p.  548. 
