ON  ANEMONE  LUDOVICIANA. 
305 
but  in  so  minute  a  quantity  that  they  could  not  be  separated  by 
mechanical  means.  The  distillate  was  therefore  strongly  agi- 
tated with  half  a  fluidounce  of  chloroform  and  this  separated. 
The  chloroform  was  rapidly  evaporated  in  a  current  of  dry  air, 
and  yielded  a  trifling  amount  of  a  whitish  substance.  This  had 
a  peculiar,  very  acrid  taste  and  a  well  marked  camphoraceous 
odor ;  it  was  volatile  at  ordinary  temperatures. 
It  was  believed  that  this  substance  was  nearly  pure  anemonin, 
and  that  the  acid  reaction  of  the  distillate  was  due  to  anemonic 
acid,  both  of  which  could  doubtless  be  obtained  in  much  greater 
amount  from  the  green  plant.  This  conclusion  seemed  the  more 
probable  and  justifiable  when  the  abundance  of  acrid  and  irri- 
tating vapors  was  taken  into  consideration,  which  were  given 
off  in  evaporating  the  juice  of  the  fresh  herb  to  an  extract,  this 
having  been  prepared  by  the  writer  in  former  years  with  great 
personal  inconvenience  on  that  account.  The  European  author- 
ities also  agree  in  the  statement,  that  they  were  unable  to  iso- 
late anemonin  from  the  dry  herbs  of  Anemone  pratensis  and  ni- 
gricans. This  agrees  very  nearly  with  the  results  obtained  by 
the  distillation  of  the  dry  leaves  of  Anemone  ludoviciana,  mere 
traces  of  the  active  volatile  principle,  yet  enough  to  demonstrate 
its  existence. 
The  alcoholic  extract  of  the  leaves,  of  which  ten  drachms 
were  obtained  from  six  ounces  with  the  application  of  heat,  or 
about  twenty  per  cent,  presented  a  shining  deep  green  color, 
showing  the  amount  of  chlorophylle  contained  in  the  herb.  The 
odor  of  this  extract  was  herbaceous,  the  taste  peculiar,  astrin- 
gent and  disagreeable. 
Inorganic  Constituents  Six  ounces  of  the  leaves  having  been 
extracted  with  boiling  alcohol,  were  incinerated  in  an  open  ves- 
sel. A  light-colored  ash  resulted,  which  was  found  to  weigh 
162  grains.  This  was  lixiviated  with  boiling  water  and  filtered. 
The  lye  gave  a  white  precipitate  with  nitrate  of  silver,  which 
was  entirely  soluble  in  liquor  ammoniae,  showing  the  presence  of 
a  chloride.  A  white  precipitate  was  also  produced  by  chloride 
of  barium,  not  wholly  soluble  in  nitric  acid,  indicating  a  sul- 
phate. 
When  a  concentrated  solution  of  tartaric  acid  was  added  to 
the  alkaline  liquid,  carbonic  acid  was  liberated  with  efferves- 
20 
