482 
Datura  Stramonium. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct.,  1893. 
was  modified  so  as  to  be  used  as  a  gravimetric  process  and  differed 
from  Lyons  merely  in  the  use  of  dilute  alcohol  and  tartaric  acid  in 
the  place  of  Prollius'  Fluid.  It  gave  better  results  than  Lyons. 
See  below : 
Part  of  plant  used. 
Gravimetric 
JJCi.  ^CLl  Lag 
Percentage  by 
titration  of  former 
Leaves  of  Datura  Stramonium  (a),  .  . 
0-654 
0*214 
(b),  •  • 
0-554 
0-231 
< « 
(c),  •  • 
I '420 
0-231 
"  green  (c),  .  . 
(a),  .  . 
1-420 
0*271 
Stems 
0770 
0*306 
(« 
« < 
(b),  •  • 
1-060 
o-358 
(c),  •  • 
0-931 
o-439 
(< 
u 
"  green  (c),  .  . 
I 'OOO 
0-467 
Roots 
i  ( 
(a)  ,  •  • 
(b)  ,  .  . 
0-496 
0-138 
0-790 
0*173 
Seeds 
tt 
(a),  .  . 
0-556 
0-248 
<  < 
ft 
(b),  .  . 
0-596 
0*289 
It  would  seem  from  these  figures  that  the  stems  of  Datura  Stra- 
monium are  richer  in  alkaloid  than  any  other  part  of  the  plant. 
Next  in  percentage  are  the  seed,  then  the  leaves  and  finally  the 
roots.  It  is  also  evident  that  some  slight  loss  occurs  during  the 
process  of  drying.  A  similar  investigation  of  the  leaves,  stems, 
roots  and  seed  of  the  plant  Hyoscyamus  Niger  has  been  made,  the 
plants  having  been  gathered  in  June  and  imported  from  Hungary 
for  that  purpose.  The  result  was  to  show  that  the  stems  and  seed 
contained  little  or  no  alkaloid  while  the  roots  contained  0-017  per 
cent.,  which  is  so  small  that  for  all  practical  purposes  it  may  be 
regarded  as  none.  The  residue  in  the  case  of  the  stems  and  seed  did 
not  neutralize  any  volumetric  acid  solution,  although  there  was  a 
slight  gravimetric  residue,  from  which  it  is  inferred  there  is  either 
no  alkaloid  present  or  alkaloid  which  possesses  no  alkaline  reaction. 
The  leaves  yielded  0-173  per  cent,  alkaloids  by  titration.  Schoon- 
brodt  has  found  that  henbane  leaves  gathered  in  June  yield  less  than 
those  gathered  at  other  times,  and  also  that  seeds  gathered  in  June 
yield  no  alkaloid. 
Baltimore,  August  29,  1893. 
