392 
Crystalline  Principle  of  Persimmon  Bark.  { 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Aug.,  1890. 
one-tenth  of  its  previous  volume,  a  complete  loss  of  its  crystalline 
structure  accompanying  this  process. 
The  dried  substance  was  granular,  somewhat  glistening,  light 
brownish  in  color,  of  a  peculiar  odor  and  slightly  astringent  taste, 
soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  chloroform,  very  slightly  in  water, 
insoluble  in  carbon  disulphide  and  petroleum'  ether.  Heated  to 
-25 8°  C.  it  darkened  considerably,  and  at  2620  C.  it  assumed  the 
appearance  of  a  deep  red,  decomposed  fused  mass. 
Chemical  Properties. — It  had  a  neutral  reaction,  was  not  dissolved 
by  boiling  dilute  hydrochloric  acid  or  boiling  dilute  solution  of 
potassium  hydrate,  and  burned  on  platinum  foil  without  leaving 
any  residue.  Its  solution  in  alcohol  was  not  precipitated  by  alco- 
holic solution  of  lead  acetate  or  spirit  of  ammonia  ;  a  very  slight 
darkening  in  color  was  produced  by  ferric  chloride,  or  by  a  mixture 
of  ferrous  and  ferric  salt.  It  dissolved  completely  in  glacial  acetic 
acid  on  warming,  a  white  precipitate  being  produced  on  dilution 
with  water,  but  whether  unchanged  or  as  an  acetyl  compound  was 
not  determined.    Eighty  per  cent,  acetic  acid  dissolved  it  very  slowly. 
On  heating  the  principle  at  ioo°  C.  for  one  hour  with  dilute 
hydrochloric  acid,  filtering,  neutralizing  with  potassium  hydrate, 
shaking  the  clear  filtrate  with  chloroform,  and  allowing  the  separated 
chloroform  to  evaporate,  no  residue  except  a  slight  one  of  potassium 
chloride,  remained.  A  fruity  odor  was  developed  during  the 
boiling. 
Two  ultimate  analyses  gave  the  following  results : 
These  figures  indicate  the  formula  C39H67O10.  The  principle  gave 
no  evidence  of  the  presence  of  nitrogen,  and  in  solubility  arid 
general  properties  is  more  closely  related  to  the  resins  than  to  any 
other  class  of  plant  compounds. 
Papain  has  been  found  of  great  use  in  cleansing  the  middle  ear,  especially 
after  the  formation  of  caseous  material,  which  is  liquefied  by  keeping  it  in  con- 
tact for  about  an  hour  with  15  minims  of  a  5  per  cent,  solution  of  papain  in 
water,  made  alkaline  by  sodium  bicarbonate.  The  ear  is  afterward  syringed 
with  a  solution  of  boric  acid. — Edin.  Med.  Jour.,  Jan.  1890. 
r. 
11. 
67-10 
9"93 
22-97 
C, 
H, 
O. 
67-44 
9-60 
22*96 
100 -oo 
100 -oo 
