Am.  Jour.  Pharin. } 
July,  1890.  / 
Marrubium  Vulgare. 
329 
melted  at  153-5°  to  154-5°  C.  was  evidently  nearly  pure,  the  aver- 
age of  three  combustions  gave  : 
The  other  samples  were  evidently  the  same  compound  in  a  more 
impure  condition,  as  was  found  by  combustion  and  melting  point. 
This  compound  as  well  as  that  obtained  by  myself  is  evidently 
the  marrubiin  discovered  by  Mein  in  1855.  Harm  (Archiv  der 
Pharmacie,  No.  83,  page  144)  stated  the   melting   point  to  be 
In  a  later  communication  the  same  author  (No.  116,  page  41)  on 
elementary  analysis  found  the  substance  contained  8-52  per  cent,  of 
hydrogen  and  "  more  than  69  per  cent,  of  carbon." 
Kromayer  (Archiv  der  Pharmacie,  No.  108,  page  257)  gives  the 
yield  of  marrubiin  as  about  2  grams  from  25  pounds  of  the  drug, 
and  states  the  melting  point  to  be  about  160°  C,  and  that  it  is  not 
a  glucoside.  My  results  indicate  its  composition  to  be  very  close  to 
that  of  absinthiin  C^H^Og,  but  it  does  not  agree  with  all  the  prop- 
erties of  that  substance  described  by  Kromayer  in  the  same  journal 
(No.  108,  p.  120),  who  states  that  absinthiin  melts  at  120°  to  125° 
C.  Many  of  the  properties,  however,  are  common  to  both  sub- 
stances, prominent  among  which  are,  solubility,  taste,  gritty 
between  the  teeth,  crystalline  appearance  and  percentage  composi- 
tion. 
The  larger  portion  of  the  drug,  after  exhaustion  with  ether,  was 
extracted  with  methyl  alcohol,  the  solvent  recovered  and  the  residue 
treated  with  water  and  filtered. 
The  filtrate,  on  agitation,  successively  with  ether  and  chloroform, 
yielded  to  the  former  a  very  bitter  greenish  substance  with  a  narcotic 
odor,  and  to  the  latter,  a  brownish  substance  with  a  bitter  and 
pungent  taste.  Both  gave  negative  results  when  tested  for  alkaloids 
and  both  reduced  Fehling's  solution,  especially  after  heating  with 
dilute  acid,  during  which  process  each  developed  a  peculiar  aromatic 
odor.  These  results  point  to  the  presence  of  two  bitter  principles 
besides  marrubiin,  which  is  in  agreement  with  Hertel's  statement 
that  after  the  separation  of  marrubiin  "  the  fluid  extract  appeared  to 
be  as  bitter  as  before." 
C, 
H, 
Q, 
70-54 
9-08 
20-38 
1 00 -00 
148°  C. 
