106 
Tincture  Deposits. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Feb.,  1881. 
first  two  experiments  show  that  the  residue  was  sugar,  and  the  last  that 
the  sugar  of  gentian  is  not  a  polyhydric  alcohol,  such  as  glucose.1  In 
order  to  prove  that  this  was  the  same  sugar  as  exists  ready  formed  in 
the  root,  I  prepared  a  decoction  of  gentian,  filtered,  and  tested  as  before 
with  phenol-phthalein  and  borax ;  obtaining  the  same  results.  The 
remainder  of  the  deposit  was  washed  with  strong,  hot  alcohol,  and  the 
alcoholic  solution  evaporated  to  dryness.  The  residue  was  too  minute 
for  examination,  but  had  the  appearance  of  an  oily  resin,  which  formed 
a  yellow  solution  with  caustic  potash.  It  had  no  bitter  taste.  After 
washing  with  alcohol  the  residue  consisted  of  albuminous  matters  and 
starch  mixed  with  tow.  Starch  and  gentian  sugar,  mixed  with  album- 
inous matter,  are,  therefore,  the  constituents  of  the  deposit  of  tinct. 
gent,  co.,  the  first  having  no  doubt  slipped  through  the  filter,  as  starches 
frequently  will. 
Tinctura  Ipecacuanhas  Concentrata. — This  is  not  an  official  tincture, 
but  as  it  is  somewhat  largely  used  in  some  parts  of  the  country,  I 
have  examined  it  qualitatively  for  emetine.  After  washing  with  weak 
spirit,  it  was  dried,  mixed  with  milk  of  lime  and  again  dried,  warmed 
with  chloroform,  the  solution  filtered  and  evaporated  on  a  water-bath. 
Scarcely  any  residue  was  left,  and  on  treating  with  calcium  hypochlorite 
and  acetic  acid  no  yellow  color  was  produced,  indicating  absence  of 
emetine. 
Tinctura  Lobelia?  ^  Inflatoe  JEtherea. — This  deposit  occurred  as  a 
somewhat  flaky,  white  sediment ;  it  does  not  occur  in  the  tincture  made 
with  proof  spirit. 
It  was  first  washed  with  spirit  of  ether,  and  shaken  up  with  water, 
the  aqueous  liquid  tested  by  Mayer's  reagent  for  the  presence  of  alka- 
loid, but  found  to  contain  none,  and  on  boiling  the  deposit  with  water 
no  odor  of  lobeline  was  developed,  even  on  the  addition  of  ammonic 
hydrate.  After  boiling,  the  deposit  assumed  a  resinous  appearance,  and 
was  of  a  greenish-white  color.  Some  of  this  resin  (?)  was  treated  with 
eaustic  potash,  but  was  insoluble ;  it  dissolved  perfectly  in  ether,  from 
which  solution  it  was  precipitated  by  alcohol  as  a  nearly  white  resin  (?). 
Benzol,  chloroform,  and  bisulphide  of  carbon  also  dissolved  it  freely. 
It  gave  no  characteristic  reaction  with  any  of  the  ordinary  reagents  for 
resins 
Tinctura  Quinice. — The  sample  of  tincture  from  which  this  deposit 
1  See  Pharm.  Journ.  [3].,  vol.  xiy.,  p.  41 ;  Dunstan  on  Polyhydric  Alcohols. 
