322 
Bitter  Principle  of  Cranberry. 
J  Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
X       July,  1886. 
separated  by  means  of  a  filter  and  then  mixed  with  lead  subacetate, 
carefully  avoiding  an  excess  of  it.  The  precipitate  was  collected  on  a 
filter,  washed  several  times  with  cold  water  and  preserved  for  further 
examination  in  regard  to  the  presence  in  it  of  kinic  acid ;  but  the  fil- 
trate was  saturated  with  sulphuretted  hydrogen  gas  for  the  pur- 
pose of  removing  from.it  all  the  lead.  After  having  separated  the 
precipitate  formed  by  a  filter,  the  clear  bitter  liquid  was  evaporated  to 
a  thin  syrup  and  set  aside  in  a  cool  place  for  crystallization.  The  re- 
sult will  be  found  below. 
Experiment  2. — The  other  portion  was  boiled  for  half  an  hour  with 
water  under  addition  of  a  sufficient  quantity  of  quicklime,  enough  to 
give  the  liquid  a  strongly  alkaline  reaction ;  it  was  then  strained,  acid- 
ulated with  acetic  acid  and  precipitated  with  neutral  lead  acetate. 
After  having  removed  the  lead  precipitate,  the  liquid  was  treated  with 
sulphuretted  hydrogen  gas  and  after  filtration  evaporated  to  a  syrup. 
The  syrup  was  by  and  by  mixed  under  almost  continuous  shaking  with 
alcohol  of  0*820  spec,  grav.,  enough  to  remove  from  the  liquid  all  the 
parts  insoluble  in  the  same.  This  precipitate  containing  all  the  kinic 
acid,  if  present,  inform  of  calcium  kinate,  was  preserved,  for  further 
trials;  but  the  liquid  was  subjected  to  distillation  to  recover  the  alco- 
hol, the  residue  evaporated  to  a  thin  syrup,  and  put  aside  in  a  cool 
place  for  several  weeks,  so  that  crystals  might  make  their  appearance. 
As,  however,  no  crystals  were  found  at  the  end  of  that  time  in  the 
syrup,  it  was  diluted  with  water,  precipitated  with  lead  subacetate, 
filtered,  the  filtrate  treated  with  sulphuretted  hydrogen  gas,  the  liquid 
obtained  after  filtration  evaporated  to  a  thin  syrup  and  again  set  aside 
in  a  cool  place  for  several  weeks.  But,  like  before,  no  crystals  were 
formed.  The  same  was  the  case  with  the  syrup-like  liquid  in  experi- 
ment 1.  Both  were,  therefore,  poured  into  one  bottle  and  for  further 
purification  repeatedly  treated  with  a  mixture  of  1  part  of  alcohol  of 
0*820  spec.  grav.  and  of  3  parts  of  officinal  ether  of  0*750  spec.  grav. 
The  solution  obtained  was  subjected  to  distillation  and  the  syrup- 
like residue  again  put  down  for  crystallization ;  even  after  the  lapse 
of  several  weeks  also  this  liquid  did  not  show  any  tendency  to  crys- 
tallize, as  did  not  too  the  bitter  liquid  left  in  the  bottle  after  the  treat- 
ment with  the  above  solvents,  which,  as  may  be  mentioned,  seemed 
to  be  impurer  than  the  dissolved  portion. 
The  bitter  principle  thus  obtained  cannot  evidently  be  regarded,  al- 
though considerable  care  was  taken  in  preparing  it,  as  the  principle  in 
