118 
Laboratory  Notes. 
!  Am.  Jour.  Pharm, 
I     March,  1886. 
5.  The  remaining  constituents  found  were  gummy  matter,  starch, 
and  coloring  matter. 
Glucosides  could  not  be  detected.  The  volatile  oil  was  of  a  yellow 
color,  somewhat  aromatic  and  had  a  rather  bland  taste.  The  amount 
of  alkaloid  obtained  was  very  small;  it  refused  to  crystallize  and  was 
contaminated  with  coloring  matter. 
Blackberry  bark. — Andrew  C.  8antee,  Ph.G.,  determined  in  the 
root  bark  by  qualitative  tests  the  presence  of  tannin,  gummy  matter, 
sugar,  little  resin,  and  a  saponin-like  body,  which  was  not  isolated. 
Amomum  Melegueta,  Roseoe. — The  seeds,  known  as  me'egueta 
pepper,  or  grains  of  Paradise,  were  examined  by  Fred.  Schwartz, 
Ph.G.,  with  the  following  results: 
The  powder  thoroughly  dried  by  heat  lost  18  per  cent,  of  moisture 
and  volatile  oil,  and  on  incineration  gave  9  per  cent,  of  gray  ash. 
Treatment  with  cold  water  furnished  a  light  brown  infusion,  con- 
taining albumen,  gummy  matter  and  a  little  tannin.  Benzin  now 
exhausted  5  per  cent,  of  a  reddish-brown  oily  matter,  having  a  slight 
aromatic  odor  and  a  burning  taste,  and  soluble  in  carbon  bisulphide 
and  in  ether;  on  redissolving  it  in  little  benzin,  the  addition  of 
alcohol  precipitated  a  white  fat.  The  powder  now  yielded  to  alcohol 
a  reddish-brown  acrid  resin,  which  is  soluble  in  ether,  but  insoluble 
in  carbon  bisulphide.  Neither  bisulphide  of  carbon  nor  ether  took 
up  any  compound  from  the  powder  exhausted  as  above;  but  treat- 
ment with  boiling  water  furnished  an  amylaceous  jelly. 
Saammony. — Chas.  M.  liebner,  Ph.G.,  examined  samples  of  com- 
mercial scammony;  the  results  arranged,  according  to  the  amount  of 
resin  obtained,  were  as  follows : 
1.  Starch  present;  26  per  cent,  soluble  in  ether. 
3.  "        "       78-30  "  "  " 
4.  "      absent;  79'23  "  "  " 
5.  Wholly  soluble  in  ether.  This  specimen  was  a  rather  fine,  light 
yellowish  powder,  and  had  the  odor  and  taste  of  scammony ;  it  was 
resin  of  scammony. 
None  of  the  samples  produced  any  effervescence  with  hydrochloric 
acid;  and  the  resin  was,  in  all  cases,  soluble  in  hot  solution  of  potassa, 
and  not  precipitated  on  the  subsequent  addit'on  of  an  acid. 
Elixir  of  Coea. —  Llewellyn  H.  Lewis,  Ph.G.,  suggests  this  prepara- 
tion to  bs  made  so  that  a  pint  represents  the  virtues  of  4  ozs.  of  the 
