70 
Fabiana  Imbricata;  or  Pichi. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Feb.,  1886. 
precipitated  by  pouring  into  a  large  volume  of  water.  The  solution 
was  filtered,  concentrated,  considerable  resinous  matter  separating 
during  this  operation.  When  reduced  to  a  small  volume,  the  solu- 
tion was  shaken  with  chloroform,  and  the  resin  which  had  separated 
was  washed  also  with  the  chloroform.  The  chloroformic  solution, 
when  evaporated,  left  a  residue  of  the  consistence  of  a  soft  resin,  of  a 
rich,  red-brown  color.  This  was  treated  with  hot  water  which  dis- 
solved a  large  part  of  it.  The  solution  was  intensely  bitter.  On 
adding  neutral  acetate  of  lead,  a  scanty  buff-colored  precipitate  was 
thrown  down.  This  was  removed  by  filtration,  and  basic  acetate  of 
lead  was  then  added,  producing  a  bulky,  slimy,  bright-yellow  pre- 
cipitate, which  was  readily  soluble  in  acetic  acid  and  reprecipitated 
by  ammonia.  The  filtrates  from  both  of  these  precipitates,  and  the 
wash  waters,  also,  were  strongly  fluorescent.  The  precipitates  them- 
selves, after  moderate  washing,  were  decomposed  by  dilute  sulphuric 
acid,  and  the  solutions  thus  obtained  both  exhibited  fluorescence, 
that  from  the  yellow  precipitate  becoming  of  a  deep  yellow  color  on 
addition  of  ammonia.  Whether  the  fluorescent  principle  was  incom- 
pletely precipitated  by  one  or  the  other  of  the  reagents,  or  whether 
there  are  two  or  three  distinct  fluorescent  compounds  present,  these 
experiments  did  not  decide,  and  the  question  remains  an  open  one, 
which,  however,  continued  investigation  may  enable  me  to  decide. 
In  all  cases  the  fluorescent  solutions  have  been  observed  to  be  bitter, 
and  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  regard  the  bitterness  as  belonging  to 
the  fluorescent  substance.1 
Not  having  succeeded  in  isolating  this  substance,  I  am  not  able  to 
affirm  that  it  is  a  glucoside,  but  this  is  extremely  probable.  The  im- 
pure substance  produces  with  nitric  acid  and  ammonia  color  reactions 
similar  to  those  obtained  from  sesculin,  and  after  boiling  with  an  acid 
reduces  copper  solutions. 
1  In  continuing  the  study  of  these  compounds,  the  writer  reports  that  he  finds 
the  fluorescence  to  reside  mainly  in  th  e  substance  precipitated  by  subacetate  of 
lead.  This  substance,  when  freed  from  the  lead,  proves  to  be  partially  soluble 
in  chloroform.  The  portion  dissolved  by  chloroform  readily  assumes  the  crys- 
talline form  ;  it  is  exceedingly  bitter,  but  apparently  not  more  so  than  the  por- 
tion of  the  original  aqueous  solution  not  precipitated  by  lead  subacetate.  It 
gives  with  nitric  acid,  followed  by  ammonia,  the  same  color  reaction  as  sesculin, 
and  the  color  of  i's  ammoniacal  solution,  and  the  intensity  of  the  blue  fluores- 
cence of  its  dilute  solution-,  are  identical  with  those  of  sesculin,  but  its  bitter- 
ness and  its  solubility  in  ether  appear  to  constitute  differential  characteristics. 
