9 
PREPARATIONS  OF  CONIUM,  ETC.  361 
alkaline  reaction.  Mixed  with  water  acidulated  with  sulphuric 
acid  it  refused  to  dissolve,  but  the  aqueous  fluid  obtained  a  tinge 
of  color,  and,  when  evaporated  nearly  to  dryness,  a  dark  film  of 
syrupy  fluid  remained,  which,  when  mixed  with  a  little  solution 
of  caustic  potash,  evolved  a  distinct  odor  of  conia. 
II.  An  ounce  avoirdupois  of  the  mixed  leaves  were  taken  and 
mixed  with  fsvss  of  water  and  fjss  dilute  sulphuric  acid  P.  B. 
Maceration  was  allowed  for  seven  days  at  a  temperature  of  50° 
F.  The  fluid  was  then  displaced  by  water,  fsx  of  bright  sherry- 
colored  infusion  was  thus  obtained.  This  was  neutralized  ex- 
actly by  HO,  KO,  and  filtered.  A  modification  of  chlorophyl, 
which  gave  a  deep  yellow  color  with  potash,  and  sulphate  of 
potash,  both  free  from  conia  or  any  of  its  salts,  remained  on  the 
filter.  The  filtrate  was  treated  as  that  of  No.  1,  and  the  extract 
in  like  manner  supersaturated  with  potash  and  washed  with  sether  : 
a  little  less  than  half  a  grain  of  bright  pale  greenish-brown  oily 
matter  remained.  It  possessed  a  powerful  odor,  compounded  of 
conia*  and  the  peculiar  odor  of  the  leaves  with  a  minty  addition. 
It  smelt  more  of  conia  and  less  of  mint  than  the  product  described 
under  No.  1.  Its  taste  was  intensely  biting,  like  that  of  conia 
itself,  leaving  a  flavor  of  tobacco  and  peppermint,  and  the  rank 
taste  of  the  dried  leaves.  Treated  with  sulphuric  acid  the  oily 
fluid  partly  dissolved,  and  the  filtered  solution  manifested  a  pur- 
ple tinge  on  evaporation,  and  furnished  a  little  brown  syrupy  ex- 
tract, which,  upon  the  addition  of  potash,  evolved  a  strong  odor 
of  conia,  a  distinct  trace  of  which  was  obtained  from  the  mixture 
by  the  aid  of  aether. 
It  appears  from  the  foregoing  experiments  that  the  dried  leaves 
do,  when  carefully  prepared  and  preserved,  retain  a  trace  of 
conia ;  and  it  is  equally  conclusive  that  the  quantity  is  much  too 
small  to  furnish  an  efficient  preparation. 
III.  In  order  to  make  my  investigation  complete,  I  subjected 
the  leaf-stalks — primary,  secondary,  and  tertiary — to  the  same 
process  as  that  described  in  No.  1.  Taking  the  same  quantity 
of  the  leaf-stalks,  viz.  ^ii,  I  obtained  as  nearly  as  possible  the 
same  quantity  of  oily  matter  as  from  the  leaves.  Its  physical 
and  chemical  properties  were  identically  the  same  as  those  of  the 
oily  fluid  obtained  from  the  leaves. 
