Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Oct.,  1890. 
Xanthoxylon  Senegalense. 
501 
To  isolate  the  alkaloids  from  fresh  specimens  of  the  bark,  they 
are  powdered,  extracted  with  94  per  cent,  alcohol,  the  extract  con- 
densed by  distillation  and  evaporation  to  a  syrupy  consistency,  made 
alkaline  with  soda,  and  extracted  with  ether;  on  treating  the 
washed  and  concentrated  ethereal  solution  with  hydrochloric  acid, 
it  yields  an  abundant  deposit  of  minute  needles  soluble  in  cold 
water.  On  the  addition  of  ammonia  or  soda  to  the  cold,  aqueous 
solution  of  this  hydrochloride,  the  base  is  precipitated  as  a  light, 
amorphous,  reddish  yellow,  flocculent  powder,  the  hot  aqueous 
solution  of  which  on  evaporation  does  not  yield  the  alkaloid  pre- 
viously mentioned  as  crystallizing  in  red  needles.  It  would  there- 
fore appear  that  the  latter  is  not  a  constant  constituent  of  the  bark. 
On  purifying  the  alkaloid  by  repeatedly  combining  it  with  hydro- 
chloric acid,  recrystallizing,  and  decomposing  the  salt,  the  first  por- 
tions of  the  hydrochloride  which  separate  were  found  to  be  more 
insoluble  than  the  succeeding  portions.  On  collecting  the  former 
apart  and  treating  them  with  alkalies,  a  perfectly  white  base  is 
obtained.  This  appears  to  be  crystallizable,  and  dissolves  in  acids 
forming  pale-yellow  salts ;  the  hydrochloride  dissolves  with  difficulty 
in  water  and  alcohol,  and  crystallizes  out  in  pale,  yellowish  needles 
which,  on  heating  at  200°  darken,  and  melt  at  2700. 
Artarine  is  the  principal  alkaloid  in  the  bark  of  artar  root,  of 
which  it  forms  0-4  per  cent.  It  is  an  amorphous,  uncrystallizable, 
rose-gray  powder,  which  darkens  a  little  on  exposure  to  light ;  it 
turns- brown  on  heating  at  2100,  and  melts  with  decomposition  at 
2400  ;  when  heated  on  platinum  foil,  it  melts,  decomposes,  gives  off 
white  fumes  having  an  odor  of  quinoline,  chars,  and  is  finally  burnt 
away  with  difficulty,  but  without  leaving  any  ash.  It  shows  an 
alkaline  reaction  to  damp  reddened  litmus  paper,  and  is  converted 
by  acids  into  golden  yellow  salts;  it  undergoes  no  change  by  pro- 
longed keeping  over  sulphuric  acid.  It  dissolves  readily  in  ether, 
boiling  amyl  alcohol,  and  warm  acetone,  and  also,  when  freshly 
precipitated,  in  warm  methyl  alcohol,  only  with  difficulty  in  warm 
chloroform,  and  not  at  all  in  water  or  benzin.  It  is  sparingly  soluble  * 
in  boiling  98  per  cent,  alcohol.  The  hydrochloride,  C2lH23N04  HC1, 
may  be  purified  by  precipitating  its  alcoholic  solution  with  an 
excess  of  ether.  It  crystallizes  in  large,  slender  needles,  occasion- 
ally forming  tufts  or  nodules ;  it  is  blackened  on  heating  to  60 — 
700,  and  melts  at  1890  with  decomposition.    It  is  freely  soluble 
