604  So  lament  Car  o  linens  e.  {Xm'llZ'w^m' 
liquid  tested  for  glucose  with  no  reduction  of  copper,  showing  that 
no  decomposition  had  taken  place. 
(b)  The  alkaloid  extracted  by  alcohol  crystallizes  in  needles.  It 
did  not  reduce  Fehling's  solution  when  pure  ;  but  it  did  so  promptly 
after  having  been  boiled  with  dilute  HQ.  An  acid  solution  of  this 
alkaloid  gelatinizes  on  standing  over  sulphuric  acid.  Within  this 
mass  fine  needles  were  observed.  Their  taste  is  bitter  and  some- 
what burning,  and  the  mass  dries  up  to  a  brown,  horny  mass.  The 
alkaloid  did  not  dissolve  in  petroleum  ether,  but  was  slightly  solu- 
ble in  ether,  not  at  all  in  water  and  easily  in  alcohol.  The  precipi- 
tate with  Mayer's  solution  was  dissolved  in  alcohol,  H2S  passed 
through  the  solution  and  HgS  removed  by  filtration.  The  remain- 
ing liquid  promptly  reduced  Fehling's  solution,  showing  that  with 
this  alkaloid  decomposition  had  taken  place. 
Owing  to  the  small  amount  of  material  (300  gm.)  on  hand,  and 
the  advanced  season,  I  was  unable  to  obtain  sufficient  alkaloids  to 
make  an  ultimate  analysis,  but  intend  to  do  so  next  year. 
From  the  above  it  appears  probable  that  the  alkaloid  extracted  by 
petroleum  ether  is  identical  with  the  one  extracted  by  ether,  while 
it  appears  most  certain  that  the  one  extracted  by  alcohol  is  identical 
with  solanine. 
According  to  Zwenger  (Dragendorft,  Gerichtlich-Chemische 
Ermittelung  d.  Gifte,  p.  262)  and  O.  Gmelin  (Gmelin's  Handbook, 
vol.  15,  p.  349,  Cavendish  Society)  solanine  splits  up  into  solani- 
dine  and  glucose  on  boiling  with  dilute  acids.  Its  solution  gela- 
tinizes, and  it  gives  a  red  color  with  H2S04.  All  these  reac- 
tions have  been  obtained  with  the  alcohol  soluble  alkaloid. 
Whether  the  petroleum  ether  and  ether  soluble  alkaloids  are 
identical  with  solanidine,  or  whether  they  contain  a  new  alkaloid,  I 
shall  endeavor  to  investigate  as  soon  as  I  have  procured  sufficient 
supply  of  the  drug. 
That  the  alkaloids  are  combined  with  an  acid  must  be  certain 
from  the  following  experiment  :  100  gm.  of  powdered  root  bark 
were  exhausted  by  alcohol,  and  the  latter  distilled  off  in  a  vacuum  ; 
water  dissolved  from  the  nearly  dry  extract  all  the  alkaloids,  and 
ammonia  precipitated  them  from  this  solution,  the  liberated  alkaloids 
not  dissolving  in  water. 
Laboratory,  Mansfield  Drug  Co., 
Memphis,  Tenn.,  Nov.,  1890. 
