8 
ECONOMY  IN  THE  USE  OF  ALCOHOL  IN  PERCOLATION. 
of  percolate  shall  have  been  received  from  this  second  portion  of 
the  powder,  and  poured  on  the  third  portion. 
When  the  last  of  this  percolate  shall  have  disappeared  from 
the  surface  of  the  third  and  last  portion  of  the  powder,  pour  on 
the  remaining  eight  fluidounces  of  the  alcohol ;  and  when  this 
shall  have  also  disappeared,  pour  on  water,  and  continue  the 
percolation  with  water  until  three  pints  and  six  fluidounces  of 
percolate  shall  have  been  received  from  this  third  portion  of  the 
powder.  Pass  the  percolates  from  one  funnel  to  the  next,  in  the 
order  in  which  they  are  received,  in  portions  of  eight  or  ten 
fluidounces,  waiting  after  each  addition  until  that  portion  passes 
into  the  powder,  before  adding  the  next. 
Distil  the  final  percolate,  and  recover  the  alcohol  from  it  by 
means  of  a  water-bath. '  Add  to  the  residue  in  the  still  three 
fluidounces  of  water,  heat  the  mixture,  stir  it  well,  transfer  it  to 
a  proper  vessel  marked  to  twelve  fluidounces,  and  make  it  up  to 
that  measure  from  the  recovered  alcohol,  using  a  portion  of  the 
alcohol  so  taken  to  rinse  out  the  still,  and  stir  the  whole  together. 
Then  add  the  Muriatic  acid  to  seven  pints  of  water  contained 
in  a  proper  precipitating  vessel,  stir  the  mixture  briskly,  and 
pour  the  diluted  extract  into  the  acidulated  water  gradually 
during  the  agitation.  Allow  the  whole  to  settle  during  two 
hours  or  more,  pour  off  the  clear  supernatant  liquid,  replace  it 
with  water,  stir  well  and  again  settle  and  decant  the  washings. 
Transfer  the  precipitate  to  a  twelve  inch  filter  in  a  funnel,  and 
when  it  has  drained,  pour  on  a  pint  of  water  in  two  portions,  and 
when  it  has  again  drained,  transfer  the  filter  and  contents  to  a 
porous  tile,  or  to  a  piece  of  bibulous  paper  laid  upon  a  folded 
napkin.  Finally  dry  the  precipitate  at  a  temperature  not  ex- 
ceeding 90°  F.  —  33°  C.  and  rub  it  to  powder.  The  quantity 
obtained  will  vary  with  the  quality  of  the  root,  between  three 
and  a  half  and  five  and  a  half  per  cent,  for  the  ordinary  com- 
mercial grades. 
The  resin  is  a  very  light  mobile  powder,  of  a  light  dingy  yel- 
low, or  brownish  yellow  color  with  a  tinge  of  green,  varying 
somewhat  in  this  green  tinge.  It  has  the  peculiar  odor  of  the 
root,  and  a  bitter,  mawkish  taste,  the  bitterness  of  which  is 
rather  slowly  developed  and  is  persistent. 
