Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1890. 
Prickly  Ash  Bark. 
231 
PRICKLY  ASH  BARK. 
By  E.  G.  Eberhardt,  Ph.G. 
Contribution  from  the  Chemical  Laboratory  of  the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy. — 
No.  71. 
Read  at  the  Pharmaceutical  Meeting,  April  22. 
In  the  preceding  paper  attention  is  drawn  by  J.  U.  Lloyd  to  a 
crystalline  principle  obtained  by  himself  and  other  investigators  from 
the  bark  of  Xanthoxylum  fraxineum.  In  addition  to  the  references 
there  given  I  may  state  that  this  substance  was  subsequently 
observed  also  by  Geo.  H.  Colton  (Am.  J.  Pharm.  1880,  p.  191)  and 
Edward  T.  Moffit  (ibid.  1886,  p.  417).  The  latter  obtained  it  from 
Xanthoxylum  fraxineum  and  regarded  it  as  identical  with  that 
observed  by  Lloyd  and  Colton.  Mr.  Colton  operating  upon  the 
bark  of  Xanthoxylum  carolinianum  obtained  it  from  the  petroleum 
ether  extract  and  describes  as  follows  :  "  These  crystals  .  .  .  were 
obtained  in  tasteless,  colorless,  silky  needles,  readily  soluble  in  alco- 
hol, ether  and  chloroform,  less  soluble  in  benzin,  insoluble  in  boiling 
water  or  solution  of  potassa.  When  heated  on  platinum  foil  they 
fused  and  burned  with  a  smoky  flame.  Gently  heated  on  paper  the 
substance  fuses  to  a  transparent  resinous  mass,  which  dissolves  in 
alcohol  and  can  be  obtained  in  crystals  on  evaporation  of  the  solu- 
tion " 
PRINCIPLE  FROM  XANTHOXYLUM  CAROLINIANUM. 
In  order  to  further  investigate  the  substance  a  quantity  of  the 
bark  of  Xanthoxylum  carolinianum,  furnished  by  Eli  Lilly  &  Co.,  of 
Indianapolis,  and  obtained  by  them  directly  from  their  source  of 
supply  in  the  south,  was  exhausted  with  petroleum  benzin,  the  sol- 
vent recovered  by  distillation  in  vacuum  and  the  residual  oily  liquid 
set  aside  for  the  crystals  to  form.  These  were  finally  collected  and 
recrystallized  from  alcohol  until  nearly  colorless.  They  melted  at 
1190  C,  and  a  preliminary  combustion  of  -2228  gm.  yielded  -5511 
gm.  of  C02  and  -i  108  gm.  of  H20 ;  equivalent  to  67  46  per  cent,  of 
carbon,  5  52  per  cent,  of  hydrogen  and,  in  the  absence  of  nitrogen, 
27-02  per  cent,  of  oxygen. 
The  crystals  were  now  further  purified  by  treatment  with  animal 
charcoal  and  recrystallization  from  hot  alcohol.  By  this  means 
they  were  obtained  in  colorless,  silky  needles,  tasteless,  but 
slightly  bitter  in  alcoholic  solution,  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  chloro- 
