532  Ginger  audits  Olcorcsin.  {AmNov.r;iSlal'm" 
No.  50  powder  and  exhausted  with  alcohol;  the  tincture  thus 
obtained  was  evaporated  at  a  moderate  heat,  and  yielded  50  grs.,.  or 
5  per  cent,  of  a  clear,  dark  brown  viscid  liquid,  closely  resembling 
the  pharmacopoeial  oleoresin  ;  it  was  perfectly  soluble  in  stronger 
and  commercial  ether  and  in  chloroform,  but  only  partially  soluble 
in  benzin.  The  residuary  powder  was  dried  and  percolated  with 
benzin,  which  did  not  extract  anything. 
Second. — 500  grs.  of  unbleached  Jamaica  ginger  were  percolated 
with  benzin,  which,  however,  did  not  extract  all  the  pungency.  The 
residue  was  dried  and  exhausted  with  ether.  The  products,  after 
evaporating  the  benzin  and  ether  respectively,  were  similiar  in 
physical  properties,  and  equally  pungent.  The  sum  of  the  two  rep- 
resented 5  per  cent,  of  the  drug  ;  the  benzin  extracted  about  half. 
Third. — 1,000  grs.  of  unbleached  Jamaica  ginger  were  exhausted 
with  alcohol  and  percolated  with  ether.  The  alcohol  extracted,  as 
before,  5  percent,  of  oleoresin,  b-ut  the  ether  extracted  nothing.  The 
oleoresin  was  then  dissolved  in  about  2  drachms  of  alcohol  and  shaken 
with  12  oz.  of  benzin  in  portions  of  2  oz.  at  a  time.  The  benzin  dis- 
solved all  but  a  small  quantity,  which  was  free  from  pungency  and  odor. 
Fourth. —  1 ,000  grs.  of  East  India  ginger,  having  the  epidermis 
removed  from  the  flat  side,  were  exhausted  with  alcohol,  and  yielded 
80  grs.  or  8  per  cent,  of  oleoresin  very  much  darker  than  that 
obtained  from  Jamaica  ginger,  but  quite  as  pungent.  It  also  was 
perfectly  and  readily  soluble  in  stronger  and  commercial  ether  and 
in  chloroform,  but  only  partially  soluble  in  benzin.  The  residuary 
powder  was  percolated  with  ether,  but  without  extracting  anything. 
Fifth, — 1,000  grs.  of  E.  India  ginger  were  exhausted  with  Squibb's 
stronger  ether,  and  on  evaporating  yielded  80  grs.  or  8  per  cent,  of 
oleoresin.  This  was  completely  soluble  in  alcohol  and  chloroform. 
When  dissolved  in  alcohol  and  shaken  with  benzin,  it  required  a 
much  larger  quantity  to  wash  out  all  the  pungency,  and  the  insolu- 
ble portion  was  larger  in  quantity  than  that  from  Jamaica  ginger. 
After  these  experiments  were  concluded  a  portion  of  the  oleo- 
resins  (which  had  been  mixed)  was  treated  with  wood  alcohol. 
This  dissolved  the  pungent  principles  much  more  readily  than  did 
benzin,  and  left  a  considerably  larger  quantity  undissolved.  The 
insoluble  portion  was  of  a  very  dark,  reddish-brown  color,  of  a  soft 
consistence,  and  quite  free  from  pungency,  while  the  pungent  por- 
tion was  not  so  dark  in  color  and  was  not  solid,  but  very  viscid. 
