Am  M^,ri884arm*}  Alkaloids  of  Coptis  Trifolia.  263 
A  portion  of  this  precipitate  when  dissolved  in  water  acidulated 
with  acetic  acid,  gave  precipitates  with  the  following  reagents  for  alka- 
loids :  Platinic  chloride,  molybdate  of  ammonium,  solution  of  iodine 
in  iodide  of  potassium,  and  test  solution  of  iodide  of  mercury  and 
potassium. 
A  chloroformic  solution  of  the  remainder  of  this  precipitate  when 
evaporated  on  a  slide  formed  microscopic  crystals,  but  the  quantity 
obtained  was  too  small  to  admit  of  further  investigation.  (This  was 
the  second  alkaloid  as  found  by  Mr.  Gross.) 
To  a  portion  of  the  filtrate,  from  the  foregoing  precipitates,  solution 
of  carbonate  of  sodium  was  added  without  producing  any  precipitate, 
and  it  was  positively  shown  that  there  was  no  more  of  this  second 
alkaloid  present. 
To  the  entire  filtrate  and  washings  thus  obtained  from  the  second 
alkaloid,  and  which  were  of  alkaline  reaction,  a  solution  of  carbazotate 
of  ammonium  was  now  added.  This  produced  a  bulky  yellow  pre- 
cipitate of  carbazotate  of  berberine,  which  when  collected  on  a  filter 
and  dried  spontaneously,  weighed  292*8  grains,  corresponding  to  228*03 
grains  of  sulphate  of  berberine. 
In  order  to  test  the  filtrate  for  any  remaining  alkaloids,  a  portion 
was  evaporated  nearly  to  dryness  on  a  water  bath,  and  agitated  succes- 
sively with  ether,  chloroform,  benzol  and  carbon  disulphide. 
The  several  solutions  were  evaporated,  the  residue  dissolved  in  water 
and  portions  of  it  separately  tested  with  test  solution  of  iodide  of  mer- 
cury and  potassium,  molybdate  of  ammonium,  and  chloride  of  platinum, 
without  producing  any  precipitate,  thus  showing  the  previous  complete 
separation  of  all  the  alkaloids. 
Recapitulation. — The  foregoing  experiments  show,  that  Coptis  tri- 
folia yields  to  officinal  alcohol,  slightly  acidulated  with  acetic  acid,  10 
per  cent,  of  its  weight  of  extractive  matter.  That  it  contains  two 
alkaloids,  as  previously  shown  by  the  investigations  of  Mr.  E.  Z.  Gross 
("Am.  Jour.  Pharm.,"  1873).  That  the  berberine  of  Coptis  trifolia 
is  only  partially  separated  by  the  processes  usually  employed  for  the 
determination  of  berberine.  That  it  contains  of  berberine  an  amount 
equivalent  to  0*8  per  cent,  of  sulphate  of  berberine,  or  57  grains  of 
sulphate  of  berberine  to  the  avoirdupois  pound.  That  the  amount  of 
the  second  alkaloid  is  very  small,  0*012  per  cent.,  or  only  0*855  grain 
to  the  avoirdupois  pound  having  been  obtained. 
