THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
AUGUST,  1886. 
PROXIMATE  ANALYSIS  OF  STIGMATA  MAYDIS. 
By  C.  J.  Rademakek,  M.D.,  and  John  L.  Fischer,  Ph.G. 
Fifty  grams  of  stigmata  maydis  were  treated  with  petroleum  spirit 
at  a  boiling  point  below  112°  F.  This  extracted  5*25  per  cent,  of  a 
light  yellow  fixed  oil  which  saponified  readily  with  caustic  potash,  and 
solidified  at  a  temperature  of  50°  F.  No  volatile  oil  was  found  in 
the  petroleum  extract,  nor  was  any  obtained  by  distillation.  The  oil 
was  soluble  in  chlorform,  ether  and  petroleum  spirit,  but  was  insolu- 
ble in  alcohol.  The  action  of  nitrous  acid  upon  this  oil  produced  no 
change  of  color,  but  the  oil  solidified  in  a  few  hours. 
The  drug  after  drying  was  next  exhausted  with  ether,  this  extracted 
2*25  per  cent,  of  solid  matter ;  one  (1)  per  cent,  of  this  was  soluble  in 
water.  This  aqueous  solution  had  an 
acid  reaction,  the  other  1*25  per  cent, 
proved  to  be  resin  and  chlorophyll. 
Upon  evaporating  the  aqueous  solution 
to  dryness,  redissolving  the  residue  in 
ether  and  allowing  the  ether  to  evap- 
orate spontaneously,  a  colorless  acid 
crystalline  principle  was  left. 
The  original  drug  after  being  dried 
was  then  treated  with  absolute  alcohol ; 
this  extracted  3'25  per  cent,  of  solid 
matter,  2  per  cent,  of  this  proved  to  be      maizenic  acid  x700. 
resin  and  coloring  matter,  the  other  1*25  per  cent,  proved  to  be  an 
acid,  identical  with  the  acid  found  in  the  ether  extract. 
This  acid  was  first  discovered  by  Dr.  Vautier  {Arch.  Med.  Beiges), 
and  he  named  it  maizenic  acid.  It  is  freely  soluble  in  water,  ether 
and  alcohol,  but  insoluble  in  petroleum  spirit.  It  decomposes  the  al- 
kaline carbonates,  and  its  salts  are  cry  stall  izable,  the  potash  salt  crys- 
tallizing in  rhomboidal  prisms.  t 
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