196  Analysis  of  Coptis  Trifolia,  Salisb.  {AMMJa°yD;;£"' 
solved  by  sulphuric  acid,  giving  to  the  solution  an  olive  green  color ; 
by  concentrated  nitric  acid,  a  deep  red  coloration,  evolving  nitrous 
acid  fumes.  Caustic  alkalies  dissolve  them,  turning  them  deep  brown. 
Their  taste  is  extremely  bitter. 
The  extractive  was  to  some  extent  soluble  in  water,  entirely  so  in 
alcohol ;  insoluble  in  petroleum  benzin  and  ether.  It  was  not  precip- 
itated from  its  solution  by  alkalies,  but  on  being  boiled  with  caustic 
potassa  for  a  while,  it  combined  with  it.  It  was  entirely  amorphous, 
and  its  acid  solution  gave  no  precipitate  with  iodohydrargyrate  of  po- 
tassium. 
The  crystals,  No.  3,  were  noticed  to  be  different  from  Berberina, 
first,  by  their  being  colorless,  and  next  by  the  difference  in  the  form 
of  the  precipitate  with  iodohydrargyrate  of  potassium  ;  berberina  be- 
ing flocculent  while  this  was  crystalline.  This  was  separated  from 
berberina  by  an  alkali,  therefore  insoluble  in  alkalies,  but  proven  af- 
terwards and  precipitated  by  them  from  solution ;  in  this  resembling 
hydrastia  and  oxyacanthin.  Boiled  with  caustic  potassa,  it  evolves 
the  odor  of  ammonia,  proving  presence  of  nitrogen.  It  restores  blue 
color  to  reddened  litmus.  Heated  on  platinum  foil,  it  puffs  up,  and 
at  length  disappears.  With  sulphuric  acid  and-binoxide  of  manga- 
nese or  nitrate  of  potassium,  it  dissolves,  giving  sulphurous  (?)  acid. 
With  cold  sulphuric  acid  it  simply  dissolves,  but  on  heating,  a  pur- 
plish color  is  produced.  In  this  test  it  again  resembles  hydrastia. 
Nitric  and  hydrochloric  acids  dissolve  it  without  change.  The  crys- 
tals were  re-dissolved  in  water,  in  which  they  were  freely  soluble,  and 
from  the  solution  precipitated  by  ammonia.  Now  we  have  a  white 
powder  insoluble  in  alcohol  or  water. 
We  have  thus  far  proven  that  it  has  the  appearance  and  answers 
the'tests  of  an  organic  alkaloid,  and  that  it  forms  at  least  one  crys- 
tallizable  salt  with  an  acid.  From  all  appearances,  it  bears  the  same 
relation  to  Coptis  that  hydrastia  does  to  Hydrastis  canadensis,  or  ber- 
Vm^to^Berberis  vulgaris,  and  as  its  tests,  compared  with  the  tests 
characteristic  of  the  two  before-named,  prove  it  to  be  not  identical 
with  either,  I  see  no  reason  why  it  might  not,  for  the  present,  or  until 
further  developments  are  made  at  least,  be  called  Coptina.  We  have 
not  had  any  opportunity  of  finding  out  its  medical  properties. 
Examination  of  the  ashes. — One  avoirdupois  ounce  of  Coptis  was  in- 
cinerated in  a  crucible,  and  the  result  was  twenty  (20)  grains  of  ashes, 
which,  on  analysis,  were  found  to  contain  silica,  carbonic  acid,  iron, 
aluminium,  calcium,  magnesium  and  potassium. 
