4MjuneRi,m3RM'}     Boot  °f  Euphorbia  Ipecacuanha.  255 
Both  these  solutions  were  tested  with  iodohydrargyrate  of  potassium, 
after  being  duly  acidulated  with  HC1,  without  any  immediate  effect  ; 
on  standing,  however,  a  resinous  precipitate  occurred,  the  liquid  at 
the  same  time  being  decolorized.  Judging  from  this  behavior,  I  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  there  was  no  alkaloid  present,  and  the  sub- 
stance precipitated  by  the  magnesia  and  subsequently  dissolved  by 
<the  alcohol  was  merely  resin. 
The  alcoholic  tincture  was  next  evaporated  to  a  small  bulk  after 
liaving  recovered  most  of  the  alcohol  by  distillation.  On  cooling,  the 
resinous  portion  separated  from  the  aqueous  liquid.  More  water  was 
dow  added,  and  the  whole  brought  on  a  filter  and  washed.  The 
residue  consisted  of  a  resin  partially  soluble  in  ether  ;  the  greater 
part  was  little  affected  by  carbon  bisulphide,  but  was  readily  soluble 
in  alcohol.  This  latter  portion  amounted  to  2-13  per  cent,  of  flowers 
employed.  The  portion  soluble  in  ether  was  only  one-fifth  of  this, 
•making  the  amount  of  resin  contained  in  the  flowers  and  soluble  in 
<ether  and  alcohol  2*56  per  cent. 
To  this  resin  is  due  what  bitterness  the  flowers  possess.  When 
isolated  it  has  a  sharp,  bitter  and  acrid  taste,  and  a  peculiar  disagree- 
able odor.  The  ethereal  tincture  yielded  on  evaporation  mostly  chlo- 
rophyll. 
The  flowers  yielded  on  distillation  a  milky  distillate,  which,  on 
standing,  separated  globules  of  oil,  the  quantity,  however,  being  very 
small.  The  distillate  was  successively  treated  with  ether  in  order  to 
dissolve  out  the  oil,  and  the  solution  so  obtained  left  to  spontaneous 
evaporation.    A  minute  portion  of  oil  was  thus  obtained. 
It  was  of  a  yellow  color,  lighter  than  water,  and  had  a  pleasant 
aromatic  odor.  The  quantity  was  so  small  that  further  experiments 
could  not  be  made  with  it.  In  regard  to  its  odor,  I  would  state  that 
it  had  no  resemblance  to  any  of  the  volatile  oils  known  to  me  and 
generally  kept  in  drug  stores. 
ON  THE  ROOT  OF  EUPHORBIA  IPECACUANHA. 
By  Christopher  Petzelt. 
Abstract  from  an  Inaugural  Essay. 
The  root,  which  is  the  officinal  portion,  is,  according  to  Dr.  Barton, 
equally  efficacious  at  whatever  period  collected. 
