278  Abstracts  from  the  French  Journals.  {Amv!ine?if9h3arm* 
The  residues  from  Peuchot's  and  O.  C.'s  solutions  were  not  again 
entirely  soluble  in  water,  alcohol,  ammonia  or  cold  hydrochloric 
acid.  In  Peuchot  No.  2  this  insoluble  matter  was  calcium  phos- 
phate. 
ABSTRACTS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
Translated  for  The  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy. 
The  active  principles  of  bryonia  root. — M.  Masson  gives,  in  Jour, 
de  Pharm.  et  de  Chim.}  March,  1893,  p.  300,  the  following  processes 
for  the  extraction  and  the  purification  of  the  active  principles  of 
bryonia  root  : 
The  fresh  root  is  cleaned,  cut  and  dried,  then  coarsely  pulverized, 
and  exhausted  in  the  cold  with  water  containing  3  per  cent,  of 
hydrochloric  acid.  The  aqueous  acid  liquid  is  treated  with  tannin 
until  no  further  precipitate  forms.  The  precipitate,  which  is  in  the 
form  of  compact  mass,  is  treated  with  water  containing  HC1,  then 
with  distilled  water,  dried,  pulverized  and  dissolved  in  90  per  cent, 
alcohol ;  the  solution  is  filtered,  decomposed  by  oxide  of  zinc,  and 
the  resulting  mass  exhausted  with  cold  distilled  water ;  this  upon 
evaporation  yields  impure  bryonin,  which  is  purified  by  dissolving  it 
in  cold  distilled  water,  containing  five  per  cent.  HC1 ;  and  dialyzing 
until  the  liquid  in  the  inner  vessel  yields  a  residue  free  from  ash,  but 
completely  soluble  in  absolute  alcohol.  This  alcoholic  solution  is 
mixed  with  anhydrous  ether ;  the  precipitate  washed  with  ether  and 
dried  at  100°.  Pure  bryonin  is  white,  amorphous,  very  bitter,  sol- 
uble in  water  and  alcohol,  and  insoluble  in  anhydrous  ether  and  in 
chloroform.  It  is  dextrogyre,  precipitates  tannin  and  ammoniacal 
plumbic  acetate,  and  has  the  composition  C34H4809 ;  its  alkali  com- 
pounds are  completely  insoluble  in  alcohol. 
The  root  exhausted  with  water  as  above,  dried,  and  treated  with 
90  per  cent,  alcohol  yields  an  impure  resin  which  the  author  calls 
Bryoresin.  It  is  purified  by  triturating  with  acidulated  water,  agi- 
tating with  several  portions  of  boiling  water,  drying,  dissolving  in 
anhydrous  ether  and  evaporating.  The  resin  is  soft  at  150,  red> 
amorphous,  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  chloroform,  glacial  acetic  acid, 
and  in  alkalies,  and  from  the  latter  solution  is  reprecipitated  by 
acids. 
Bryonin  boiled  with  dilute  sulphuric  acid  yields  a  glucose,  which 
the  author  did  not  succeed  in  crystallizing,  and  a  yellowish  amor- 
