Am.  Jour.  Pkarm.  i 
June,  1890.  J 
Chemical  Notes. 
297 
On  Taxine.  —  A.  Hilger  and  Fr.  Brande  (Ber.  d.  Deutsch. 
Chem.  Gesell.  1890,  464),  after  reviewing  the  literature  on  the 
examination  of  Taxus  baccata,  describe  their  work  on  the  ethereal 
extract  from  which  they  isolated  the  alkaloid  by  the  process 
of  Marme  (Medicin.  Centralb.  xiv,  97).  Leaves  and  fruits 
were  extracted  several  times  with  ether,  the  latter  recovered,  the 
residue  treated  a  few  times  with  acidulated  water  and  the  alkaloid 
precipitated  with  ammonia.  The  powder  was  dried  in  a  desiccator 
over  sulphuric  acid.  It  is  easily  soluble  in  alcohol  and  ether,  but  could 
not  be  obtained  in  a  crystalline  state.  Concentrated  sulphuric  acid 
gives  a  red  color,  while  hydrochloric,  nitric  and  phosphoric  acids  give 
none.  The  most  of  the  alkaloidal  reagents  yield  amorphous  pre- 
cipitates, platinum  and  gold  chlorides  give  no  precipitates  ;  with 
Froehde's  reagent  a  red  violet  color  was  obtained.  The  salts  pre- 
pared are  the  following :  acetate,  oxalate,  tartrate,  chloride,  sulphate 
and  the  platinum  and  gold  double  salts.  The  formula  of  the  alka- 
loid is  C,-H.9OinN. 
3/      o2  10 
Chemical  characterization  of  the  constituents  of  Cetraria  islandica. 
— A.  Hilger  and  O.  Buchner  [Ber.  d.  Deutsch.  Chem.  Gesell.  1890, 
p.  461)  use  the  following  methods  for  isolating  lichensiearic  and 
cetraric  acids.  The  lichen,  reduced  to  a  coarse  powder,  is  com- 
pletely extracted  with  petroleum  ether  and  this  recovered.  The 
dried  residue  is  stirred  into  boiling  water,  and  to  the  boiling  mix- 
ture sodium  bicarbonate  added  in  small  quantities,  so  that  a  part  of 
the  residue  remains  undissolved.  The  solution,  while  hot,  is  filtered 
and  supersaturated  with  hydrochloric  acid.  The  precipitate  is 
pressed  between  bibulous  paper  and  recrystallized  from  petroleum 
ether,  using  animal  charcoal  for  decolorizing.  Further  purification 
is  accomplished  by  crystallizing  from  boiling  alcohol.  The  acid  is 
a  white  voluminous  mass,  consisting  partly  of  small  prisms,  which, 
however,  soon  fall  into  glossy  leaflets,  melts  at  1200  C,  soluble  in 
alcohol,  chloroform,  ether,  benzol,  petroleum  ether  and  nearly 
insoluble  in  ivater.  By  combustion  and  analysis  of  the  silver,  barium 
and  lead  salts  and  of  the  chloride  the  composition  C43H7601:}  was 
determined  for  lichenstearic  acid.  Cetraric  acid  was  obtained  by 
Knop  and  Schnedemann's  method  {Lie b.  Ann.  lv,  1 50),  by  boiling 
Iceland  moss  for  quarter  of  an  hour  with  alcohol  and  potassium  car- 
bonate, precipitating  with  hydrochloric  acid,  extracting  with  petro- 
leum ether  and  treating  the  residue  to  remove  coloring  matter  with 
