Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
Jan.,  1884.  J 
Extract  of  Nux  Vomica. 
37 
ON  EXTRACT  OF  NUX  VOMICA. 
By  Wyndham  R.  Dunstan, 
Assistant  Lecturer  in  Chemistry  and  Physics  to  the  Pharmaceutical  Society 
and  Demonstrator  of  Practical  Chemistry  in  the  School  of  Pharmacy  ; 
and  F.  W.  Short, 
Assistant  Demonstrator  of  Practical  Chemistry  in  the  School  of  Pharmacy. 
The  only  analysis,  as  far  as  we  know,  that  has  been  published  of  extract 
of  nux  vomica  is  that  made  by  Dragendorff,1  who  records  that  he  found  in 
one  sample  of  the  extract  7'3  per  cent,  of  total  alkaloid,  and  in  another 
8*5  per  cent.  Our  first  experiments  upon  this  subject  were  directed  to 
the  discovery  of  a  simple  and  accurate  method  for  the  estimation  of 
the  total  alkaloid  in  the  extract.  In  a  previous  paper  (u  Phar.  Jour." 
[3],  xiv,  292)  we  described  a  process  of  this  kind  for  the  determina- 
tion of  the  total  alkaloid  in  tincture  of  nux  vomica,  which  consisted 
in  evaporating  the  tincture  to  dryness,  and  then  dissolving  the  residue 
in  a  mixture  of  chloroform  and  dilute  sulphuric  acid.  We  first  tried 
a  similar  process  in  the  case  of  the  extract,  but  it  was  found  that 
although  the  commercial  extract  was  wholly  dissolved  by  the  above 
mixture,  the  alkaloid  subsequently  extracted  by  chloroform,  after  the 
addition  of  ammonium  hydrate,  was  slightly  impure. 
We  therefore  made  further  experiments,  which  led  to  the  adoption 
of  the  following  process :  About  one  gram  of  the  extract  is  dissolved 
in  a  strong  solution  of  sodium  carbonate  with  the  aid  of  a  gentle  heat. 
This  solution  is  extracted  with  two  consecutive  15  cc.  of  chloroform. 
The  mixed  chloroformic  solutions  are  extracted  with  two  consecutive 
15  cc.  of  dilute  sulphuric  acid  (5  per  cent.),  and  from  the  mixed  acid 
solutions,  which  should  be  filtered  if  necessary,  the  total  alkaloid  is 
extracted  after  the  addition  of  ammonium  hydrate  by  agitation  with 
chloroform,  two  separate  quantities  of  15  cc.  being  generally  sufficient. 
The  clear  chloroformic  solutions  are  evaporated  to  dryness  upon  the 
water-bath,  and  the  residue  of  total  alkaloid  weighed  after  exposure 
for  one  hour.  The  alkaloidal  residue  thus  obtained  was  shown  to  be 
pure  by  applying  the  ammonia-tannin  process,  which  we  have  fully 
described  in  a  former  paper.    The  following  is  a  typical  result :  (a) 
1  "Die  Chemiscbe  Werthbestimmung,"  p.  72. 
