372 
A?- alia  Nudicaulis. 
( Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\      August,  1899. 
The  residue  of  the  drug,  after  extraction  with  petroleum-benzin 
and  ether,  was  again  dried  and  treated  with  absolute  alcohol  in  a 
cylindrical  percolator.  After  maceration  for  seven  days,  percolation 
was  continued  to  exhaustion.  A  part  of  the  percolate  was  evapo- 
rated at  a  temperature  below  500,  and  from  the  residue  the  total 
amount  of  alcoholic  extractive  was  calculated  to  be  6-052  grammes. 
This  extract  was  then  treated  with  petroleum-benzin,  which  failed 
to  dissolve  any  of  it.  It  was  then  treated  with  ether,  suffering  a 
loss  of  1-223  grammes,  as  previously  stated.  The  remainder  weighed, 
therefore,  4-829  grammes,  equal  to  1  -93 1  per  cent,  of  the  original  drug. 
This  alcoholic  extract  gave  all  the  common  reactions  for  tannin. 
There  were,  however,  also  indications  of  an  organic  acid,  the  nature 
of  which  was  not  determined.  Besides  these,  a  small  amount  of  an 
acid  resin,  similar  to  the  one  of  the  ethereal  extract,  was  present. 
The  extract  of  each  solvent  was  examined  by  a  series  of  tests  for 
alkaloids,  without  showing  traces  of  any. 
The  following  is  a  summary  of  the  three  extracts : 
Extract  with  ^drul. °f  Containing 
Petroleum-benzin  .  .  .  1726  per  cent.  .  .   .  mostly  fixed  oil ;  volatile 
oil  from  "04  to  '12  per 
cent. 
Anhydrous  ether   .  .  .  1 '280  per  cent.  .  .  .  -043  per  cent,  indifferent 
resin;  1*237  acid  resin. 
Absolute  alcohol   .  .  .  1*931  per  cent.  .  .  .  mostly  tannin;  some  acid 
resin  and  probably  an 
organic  acid. 
CHEMICAL  EXAMINATION  OF  THE  OIL. 
The  extract,  gained  by  treating  the  drug  with  petroleum-benzin, 
adding  to  it  the  parts  dissolved  from  the  ethereal  extract,  weighed 
in  toto  4-316  grammes,  equal  to  1*726  per  cent,  of  the  drug.  On 
exposing  it  to  a  heat  of  1100  a  slight  loss  of  weight  was  expe- 
rienced owing  to  the  evaporation  of  the  volatile  oil.  As  this  latter 
forms  a  variable  constituent,  as  will  be  shown  later,  no  account  of 
the  amount  evaporated  was  taken. 
THE  FIXED  OIL. 
The  fixed  oil  is  perfectly  clear,  of  a  dark  red  color,  soluble  in 
petroleum-benzin,  benzin,  ether  and  chloroform,  sparingly  soluble 
in  absolute  alcohol,  insoluble  in  alcohol  and  water.  It  has  a  bitter, 
acrid,  pungent,  lasting  taste,  causing  a  feeling  of  dryness  in  the 
