Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1884. 
Baycuru. 
363 
three  days ;  at  the  expiration  of  this  time  the  percolation  was  allowed 
to  proceed  until  the  drug  was  completely  exhausted.  The  percolate 
measured  296  Cc,  and  on  evaporation  yielded  an  extract  weighing 
'388  Gm.,  equivalent  to  "388  per  cent,  of  the  drug.  The  extract  was 
soft,  of  a  dark  green  color,  and  consisted  of  a  soft  resin,  a  trace  of  wax 
and  coloring  matter.  It  was  treated  with  warm  water,  filtered,  and 
cooled.  A  portion  of  the  filtrate  tested  by  Mayer's  solution,  phospho- 
.  molybdic  acid,  platinic  chloride,  and  other  reagents  for  alkaloids  gave 
negative  results.  Another  portion  boiled  with  dilute  hydrochloric 
acid,  and  then  neutralized  with  potassa,  gave  negative  result  with 
Fehling's  solution,  as  a  test  for  glucosides. 
Alcohol  Extract. — The  drug  remaining  after  treatment  with  benzol 
was  dried,  and  after  maceration  exhausted  with  80  per  cent,  alcohol. 
The  percolate  measured  620  Cc.  An  aliquot  portion  yielded  an  extract 
equivalent  to  16*4  Gm.  of  the  whole,  or  16'4  per  cent,  of  the  drug. 
The  extract  was  treated  with  water,  and  a  portion  of  the  filtrate  was 
estimated  for  tannin  with  a  freshly  prepared  solution  of  gelatin  and 
alum.  The  weight  of  the  tanno-gelatin  precipitate  was  equivalent  to 
27  Gm.  of  the  whole,  and  estimating  45  per  cent,  of  this  as  tannin,, 
shows  a  net  result  of  12*15  per  cent.  This  tannin  produced  a  green 
color  with  iron  salts,  was  readily  precipitable  with  solution  of  morphine 
and  tartrate  of  antimony  and  potassium,  in  each  case  a  white  precipi- 
tate forming.  The  filtrate  recovered  from  the  tannin  estimate  was 
acidulated  with  sulphuric  acid,  an  equal  volume  of  alcohol  added y 
allowed  to  stand  for  a  time,  filtered,  washed,  evaporated  clear  of  all 
alcohol,  and  the  acid  solution  tested  for  alkaloids  and  glucosides,  with 
negative  results  for  the  latter.  With  Mayer's  solution  and  phospho- 
molybdic  acid  precipitates  were  obtained.  The  remaining  acid  solution 
was  then  neutralized  with  ammonia,  and  the  resulting  precipitate 
shaken  with  ether  in  a  test  tube.  The  etherial  solution  was  filtered, 
evaporated  to  a  small  quantity,  and  failing  to  show  any  crystalline 
products,  after  standing  for  a  few  hours,  the  evaporation  was  continued 
to  dryness  on  a  watch-glass.  The  result,  as  seen  under  the  microscope, 
was  small  feathery  crystals.  Several  efforts  were  made  to  isolate  an 
additional  quantity  of  these  crystals,  and  the  following  process  proved 
successful :  An  alcoholic  tincture  was  evaporated  to  a  syrupy  consist- 
ence ,  potassa  added,  and  the  whole  shaken  with  chloroform.  The 
chloroformic  solution  was  evaporated,  the  residue  treated  with  a  weak 
acid,  filtered,  precipitated  by  ammonia,  treated  with  ether  and  then 
