390 
Note  gn  Saffron. 
(  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
\      August,  1898. 
Crocus. — The  stigmas  only  become  blue  immediately,  and  in  a 
half  minute  the  solution  becomes  blue,  gradually  changing  to  a  violet, 
and  finally  a  deep  wine-red  color. 
Carthamns. — The  flowers  turn  yellow  and  the  solution  remains 
colorless  for  a  few  minutes.  The  latter  changes  to  yellow,  and 
finally,  after  a  much  longer  time,  however,  assumes  a  color  similar 
to  crocus,  viz.,  a  deep  wine-red  color. 
Calendula. — The  flowers  turn  brown  or  blackish-brown,  as  though 
charred.  The  solution  behaves  otherwise  much  the  same  as  Car- 
thamus. 
Of  course,  in  case  any  of  the  coloring  principles  other  than  those 
in  the  drugs  have  been  used,  they  are  easily  detected  by  the  proper 
reagents,  as  KOH  for  hematoxylin,  etc. 
This  sulphuric  acid  test  was  probably  first  utilized  by  Joh.  Miiller12 
for  distinguishing  true  saffron.  In  a  paper  on  the  adulteration  of 
saffron  he  calls  attention  to  the  fact  that,  on  the  addition  of  sulphuric 
acid  to  Crocus  sativus  the  latter  changes  to  indigo-blue,  reddish- 
purple,  and  finally  blackish-brown.  Further,  that  the  leaves  of  Cro- 
cus vermis,  which  is  used  to  adulterate  saffron,  give  a  dark- green 
reaction  with  the  same  reagent. 
Bouillon-Lagrange  and  Vogel  (Annates  de  Chim'.y  lxxx,  p.  1 88), 
as  early  as  1811,  had  shown  the  peculiar  behavior  of  the  coloring 
principle  in  saffron  to  H2S04,  HNOs,  as  later  confirmed  by  Henry 
(Jour,  de  Pharm.,  1821,  p.  400),  who  says,  in  his  essay  on  the  color- 
ing principle  of  saffron,  "  le  chlore,  les  acides  sufurique  et  nitrique  se 
comportant  avec  elle  comme  MM.  Bouillon-Lagrange  et  Vogel  l'ont 
observe."  Kayser's  later  researches11  on  the  chemistry  of  saffron 
have  added  still  further  to  our  knowledge  of  the  coloring  principle 
which  behaves  towards  sulphuric  acid  as  already  mentioned. 
It  seems  to  the  writer  that  the  pharmacopceial  tests  for  saffron 
might  be  improved  by  adding  a  botanical  distinguishing  test,  as  well 
as  the  sulphuric-acid  test,  which  is  so  very  characteristic  for  crocus. 
Only  cotton  impregnated  with  iodine  would  give  anything  like  the 
same  reaction  with  sulphuric  acid. 
IMPORTANT  REFERENCES  TO  SAFFRON. 
1  John  M.  Maisch  :  Proc.  Am.  Pharm.  Assoc.,  1885,  p.  504. 
2  E.  Vinassa  :  Arch,  der  Pharm.,  1892,  p.  353. 
3  A.  Tschirch  :  Anatomischer  Atlas,  Lief.  V,  p.  91. 
