276 
Saponin  from  Quiilaia. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1884. 
SAPONIN  FROM  QUILLAIA. 
By  E.  Stutz. 
At  the  commencement  of  this  paper,  an  historical  account  is  given 
of  saponin,  a  drug  obtained  from  the  Saponaria  rubra  and  its  allied 
species.  The  formulae  proposed  for  this  substance,  deduced  from  the 
percentage  proportions  of  carbon  and  hydrogen  found  in  it,  are  vari- 
ous, but  most  experimenters  are  agreed  in  proving  that  it  is  decom- 
posed on  boiling  with  acids,  yielding  a  carbohydrate  among  other 
products. 
The  source  of  the  saponin  studied  in  this  paper  was  the  bark  of  the 
Quillaja  Saponaria,  a  member  of  the  Spireaea  family,  indigenous  in 
Chili  and  Peru.  This  was  digested  with  water,  the  extract  evaporated 
down,  and  hot  alcohol  of  90  per  cent,  added  ;  on  cooling,  white  flocks 
of  saponin  separated,  which  were  then  frequently  recrystallized  from 
alcohol,  and  finally  purified  by  animal  charcoal. 
Saponin  thus  obtained  is  a  white,  amorphous,  neutral  powder,  gen- 
erally possessing  an  astringent  taste,  due  to  traces  of  impurities  ;  it  is 
soluble  in  water,  insoluble  in  absolute  alcohol  and  ether ;  its  aqueous 
solution  forms  a  lather  like  soap.  When  heated  to  195°  it  turns 
brown,  and  at  a  higher  temperature  evolves  a  vapor  resembling  cara- 
mel in  odor. 
The  author  was  unable  to  obtain  saponin  free  from  inorganic  impu- 
rities; and  from  the  proportion  of  its  barium  compound  it  would 
appear  probable  that  the  impurities,  principally  consisting  of  calcium, 
were  intimately  associated  with  the  saponin.  From  the  mean  of  four 
concordant  analyses  the  formula  C19H30O10  is  deduced. 
A  concentrated  aqueous  solution  of  saponin  is  precipitated  by  baryta- 
water  ;  a  substance  of  composition  2C19H30O10+Ba(OH)2  being  formed, 
from  which  the  barium  is  not  readily  separated  by  carbonic  anhydride. 
In  order  to  determine  the  number  of  alcoholic  hydroxy  1  groupings 
present  in  saponin,  it  was  heated  with  acetic  or  butyric  anhydride 
under  various  conditions.  A  series  of  acetyl  derivatives  was  thus 
obtained;  amongst  which  are  enumerated  a  tetracetyl,  C19H26Ac4O10, 
and  a  pentacetyl,  C19H25Ac5O10,  derivative,  and  two  compounds  formed 
by  the  addition  of  acetic  anhydride  to  the  latter  substances,  viz., 
Clf)H23Ac5.09(OAc)2,  and  C19H25Ac508(OAc)4.  From  these  results  it 
follows  that  the  saponin  contains  five  hydroxyl  groups,  and  two  oxy- 
