GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS.  395 
GLEANINGS  FROM  THE  FRENCH  JOURNALS. 
By  the  Editor. 
Seneeio  doronicum  substituted  for  Arnica. — M.  Timbal  La- 
grave,  of  Toulouse,  states  (Rep.  de  Pharm.,  Mai,  1862,)  that  an 
herb  gatherer  of  that  city  has  been  furnishing  the  herb  of  Sene- 
eio doronicum  for  arnica,  and  points  out  the  means  of  distin- 
guishing them  from  each  other. 
On  Aribine,  a  new  organic  base. — M.  Rieth  has  extracted 
this  body  from  the  bark  of  Arariba  rubra,  a  tree  growing  in  the 
virgin  forests  of  Eastern  Brazil.  This  tree,  according  to  M. 
Martius,  approaches  the  Cinchonacse.  The  bark  is  character- 
ized by  the  red  color  of  its  internal  layers,  and  is  employed  by 
the  Indians  for  dyeing  wool  red.  A  new  alkaloid  has  been  ex- 
tracted from  it  which  has  received  the  name  of  aribine.  The 
process  is  as  follows : — The  bark  in  small  fragments  is  digested 
in  dilute  sulphuric  acid.  The  united  liquors  are  filtered,  evap- 
orated to  one-tenth,  neutralized  by  carbonate  of  soda,  and  pre- 
cipitated by  an  excess  of  acetate  of  lead.  After  filtration,  the 
solution  is  treated  by  sulphuretted  hydrogen,  filtered  and  pre- 
cipitated by  an  excess  of  carbonate  of  soda. 
The  whole  is  now  agitated  with  ether,  which  dissolves  the  base 
and  rises  to  the  surface.  The  ethereal  liquid  is  then  agitated 
with  a  slight  excess  of  hydrochloric  acid,  which  extracts  the 
aribine,  and  separates  as  a  crystalline  precipitate  insoluble  in 
ether.  To  get  the  alkaloid  pure,  the  salt  is  again  precipitated 
and  crystallized  from  ether.  Aribine  presents  the  form  of  large 
anhydrous  rhomboidal  octohedrons,  and  also  occurs  in  long,  thin, 
hydrated  prisms,  which  effloresce  in  the  air. 
Deposited  from  boiling  ether  the  crystals  are  anhydrous, 
whilst  from  ether  by  spontaneous  evaporation  the  crystals  con- 
tain 29-08  per  cent,  of  water  or  16  equivalents.  Its  taste  is 
very  bitter,  though  but  little  soluble  in  water.  It  has  an  alka- 
line reaction,  and  melts  at  229°  C.  without  decomposition.  Dry,  it 
absorbs  hydrochloric  acid  with  disengagement  of  heat.  The 
chlorohydrate  crystallizes  in  briiliant  prisms,  soluble  in  water, 
and  insoluble  in  hydrochloric  acid.  Alkalies  precipitate  the 
base  in  the  form  of  a  white  substance,  which  becomes  crystal- 
line when  heated.    Chloride  of  potassium  forms  with  the  hydro- 
