328 
A  Species  of  Commelina. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1898. 
tion  was  agitated  with  benzin,  ether  and  chloroform  in  the  manner 
described  under  the  treatment  of  the  ether  extract.  The  benzin 
and  ether  removed  small  quantities  of  matter  from  both  acidified 
and  alkaline  solution.  This  matter  dissolved  in  water,  and  afforded 
neutral  solutions,  which  were  without  effect  on  salts  of  gold  and 
silver.  Nor  were  alkaloids  indicated  in  the  solutions  by  Mayer's 
reagent  or  potassium  tri-iodide.  But  Fehling's  solution  was  re- 
duced by  the  plain  aqueous  solutions,  and,  after  heating  portions  of 
the  solutions  with  acid  and  again  applying  this  reagent,  more 
cuprous  oxide  was  precipitated.  Chloroform  removed  only  a  mi- 
nute quantity  of  matter  from  either  the  acidified  or  alkaline  aqueous 
solution  of  the  alcoholic  extract.  Glucose  and  saccharose  were 
tested  for  in  another  portion  of  the  aqueous  solution  of  the  alco- 
holic extract.  The  solution  was  first  treated  with  lead  acetate, 
which  caused  a  precipitate ;  this  was  filtered  off,  the  excess  of  lead 
removed  from  the  filtrate  by  means  of  hydrogen  sulphide,  the 
resulting  lead  sulphide  removed  by  filtration,  and  all  traces  of  hy- 
drogen sulphide  expelled  from  the  filtrate  by  boiling  it.  The  liquid 
was  then  divided  into  two  equal  volumes.  One  of  these  volumes 
was  tested  quantitatively  for  glucose  with  Fehling's  solution  ;  o  03 
per  cent,  of  this  substance  was  indicated  by  the  cupric  oxide 
weighed.  The  other  half  of  the  solution  was  boiled  with  acid  to 
invert  any  saccharose  present,  then  made  alkaline  and  treated  with 
Fehling's  solution,  but  no  increase  in  the  amount  of  cupric  oxide 
was  found,  thereby  showing  the  absence  of  saccharose.  With  the 
exception  of  a  slight  residue,  that  part  of  the  absolute  alcohol  ex- 
tract  which  was  insoluble  in  water  dissolved  in  alcohol  of  -820  sp. 
gr.  The  alcoholic  solution  was  rendered  turbid  by  the  addition  of 
water  to  it ;  it  gave  a  slight  reddish  coloration  with  alcoholic  solu- 
tion of  ferric  chloride,  and  a  reddish  precipitate  when  mixed  with 
alcoholic  solution  of  lead  acetate. 
Cold  water  dissolved  16-34  per  cent,  of  organic  solids  from  the 
plant,  after  its  treatment  with  the  solvents  already  mentioned.  The 
solution  of  these  solids  had  an  acid  reaction  toward  litmus  paper. 
When  the  solution  was  mixed  with  five  times  its  volume  of  alcohol, 
a  precipitate  was  produced.  It  amounted  to  3-40  per  cent.  Las- 
saigne's  test  revealed  the  presence  of  a  trace  of  nitrogen  in  the  pre- 
cipitate, which  must,  therefore,  have  contained  only  a  small  amount  of 
albuminous  matter,  and  consisted  almost  entirely  of  mucilage;  0-41 
