AmM^h,mi!m-}        Berries  of  the  Horse  Nettle.  127 
it  having  been  impossible  to  carry  out  a  very  extended  investi- 
gation on  account  of  the  limited  amount  of  material  at  hand.  The 
well-known  scheme  suggested  by  Parsons  (Prescott's  Organic 
Analysis,  1887,4.08;  Amer.  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  1880,  p.  210; 
Pharmaceutical  Journal  and  Transactions  (3)  10,  /pj)  was  in  the 
main  followed,  but  the  details  were  modified. 
(1)  A  volatile  oil,  (2)  a  fixed  oil,  (3)  an  acid  resin,  and  (4)  from  a  . 
"  Prollius  liquid"  extract  evidence  of  an  alkaloid  were  obtained. 
The  latter  being  present  in  such  a  small  quantity  its  isolation  was 
not  attempted. 
(1)  The  volatile  oil  has  a  very  characteristic  odor  and  a  specific 
gravity  less  tha'n  i-ooo.  (2)  The  fixed  oil  was  separated  from  the 
chloroform  extractive  by  treating  the  extractive  with  a  small  quan- 
tity of  petroleum  spirit,  filtering  and  evaporating  off  the  spirit.  This 
oil  is  of  a  green  color,  has  a  bland  taste,  and  is  easily  saponified  by 
alkalies,  forming  a  light  green  soap,  which  is  readily  soluble  in 
water.  When  eight  drops  of  the  oil  were  placed  in  a  watch  glass 
over  white  paper,  and  two  drops  of  sulphuric  acid  added,  at  first  a 
brown  color  was  observed,  afterwards  strings  of  black  beginning  to 
appear.  On  stirring,  the  whole  turned  black  except  the  edge, 
which  was  seal  brown.  Nitric  acid  in  the  cold  has  ho  effect,  but  if 
three  drops  of  the  oil  and  two  of  the  acid  be  placed  in  a  small  test- 
tube  and  heated  to  boiling  a  brown  color  will  be  observed.  With 
an  aqueous  solution  of  silver  nitrate  a  white  precipitate  was 
obtained.  (3)  The  resin  was  extracted  from  the  drug  in  part  by 
the  chloroform  and  in  part  by  the  80  per  cent,  alcohol.  It  is  of  a 
light  yellow  color,  and  is  soluble  in  the  alkali  hydroxides. 
Nitrogen  corresponding  to  14-45  Per  cent,  of  albumen  was  found, 
of  which  some  was  soluble  in  water,  but  the  greater  part  was  dis- 
solved by  sodium  hydroxide. 
The  percentages  of  the  above-mentioned  constituents  together 
with  those  of  the  substances  common  to  all  plants  will  be  found 
in  the  following  summary: 
Per  Cent. 
Ash,   6-68 
Volatile  oil,   3 '22 
Fixed  oil,   975 
Resin,  '   2  81 
Waxy  matter,   1*85 
Organic  acids  and  allies,   4' 18 
