Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
May,  1890. 
Prickly  Ash  Bark. 
233 
Calculated  for     Calculated  for 
Average.      (C2oHi906).  (CgoHagOg). 
C,   .     6774         67-63  67-67 
H,  .  .  .  .   5*26  5'35  5*26 
O,   27-00         27*02  27-07 
This  still  left  some  doubt  as  to  the  formula,  but  as  the  amount  of 
substance  obtained  was  small,  further  experiments  had  to  be  post- 
poned for  the  present.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  substance 
is  identical  with  that  obtained  by  Colton. 
PRINCIPLE  FROM  XANTHOXYLUM  FRAXINEUM  (LLOYD'S). 
Comparison  of  the  above-described  substance  with  that  presented 
by  Lloyd  (Am.  J.  Pharm.,  1876,  p.  226)  and  preserved  in  the 
museum  of  the  college,  disclosed  a  radical  difference  in  crystalline 
form.  Of  the  latter  there  were  two  specimens,  one  in  comparatively 
large,  somewhat  tabular  crystals,  resembling  in  a  measure  potassium 
chlorate;  the  other,  in  the  form  of  a  light  crystalline  powder, 
identical  with,  but  less  pure  than,  the  first,  as  was  found  upon  further 
investigation. 
A  portion  of  the  crystallized  sample  was  further  purified  by  the 
means  above  employed,  i.  e.,  treatment  with  animal  ,  charcoal  and 
recrystallization  from  hot  alcohol.  It  was  thus  obtained  in  colorless 
crystals,  smaller  but  of  the  same  character  as  in  the  original  sample, 
soluble  in  ether,  chloroform  and  glacial  acetic  acid,  from  which  it 
crystallized  unchanged,  insoluble  in  water  or  cold  aqueous  alkalies. 
Boiling  aqueous  alkalies  decomposed  it,  dissolving  it  with  a  yellow 
color  and  saturation  of  this  solution  with  dilute  acid  precipitated  it 
as  a  light  brown  amorphous  powder.  In  substance  it  is  tasteless, 
but  in  alcoholic  solution  bitter  and  somewhat  pungent.  Digestion 
with  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  did  not  decompose  it. 
Concentrated  sulphuric  acid  dissolved  it  with  a  light  red  color, 
appearing  greenish-yellow  in  very  thin  layers.  The  addition  of  an 
excess  of  water  to  this  solution  produced  a  whitish  precipitate  which 
was  taken  up  by  chloroform  and  left  as  an  amorphous  residue  upon 
evaporation  of  the  solvent. 
Strong  nitric  acid  dissolved  it  with  a  deep  red  color  and  on  dilu- 
tion a  bulky  yellow  precipitate  was  produced,  soluble  in  alcohol, 
ether  and  chloroform,  slightly  soluble  in  water  and  easily  in  aqueous 
alkalies,  forming  blood-red  solutions. 
Dry  chlorine  gas  passed  into  the  ethereal  solution  precipitated  a 
white  crystalline  powder,  sparingly  soluble  in  alcohol  or  ether. 
