Am.  Jour.  Phaim. 
Aug.,  1886. 
Polygonum  Hydvopiper. 
373 
to  fraxetin.  The  filtrate  from  the  lead  precipitate,  freed  from  lead,  con- 
tained sugar,  and  tannin  precipitated  from  it  a  small  amount  of  amor- 
phous bitter  principle.  The  bark  exhausted  with  alcohol,  was  treated 
with  hot  water ;  this  liquid  contained  gummy  matter  and  mannite. 
The  tincture  obtained  with  hot  alcohol  from  250  gm.  of  bark  dried 
with  milk  of  lime,  was  concentrated,  acidulated  with  sulphuric  acid, 
the  liquid  filtered,  made  alkaline  with  ammonia  and  shaken  with 
ether.  The  ether  residue  on  being  taken  up  with  acidulated  water 
gave  reactions  with  iodine  and  potassio-mercuric  iodide ;  and  on  being 
evaporated  spontaneously  yielded  crystals,  which  were  freed  from  an 
amorphous  dark  colored  mass,  and  were  then  almost  insoluble  in  cold 
alcohol  or  water,  but  separated  from  the  hot  solution  in  slender 
needles,  which  are  slightly  acrid,  neutral,  melting  at  166°  C,  soluble 
in  ether  and  with  a  yellow  color  in  ammonia,  the  latter  solution  be- 
coming colorless  with  hydrochloric  acid  and  gradually  assuming  a 
purplish  tint.  These  crystals  are  probably  fraxetin.  Treatment  of 
the  alkaline  solution  with  chloroform  gave  a  dark  purplish  solution 
from  which  more  of  the  crystals  could  be  obtained,  also  solutions  giv- 
ing alkaloidal  precipitates. 
The  precipitate  with  lead  acetate  from  a  tincture  of  the  bark  contained 
a  soft  substance  of  a  somewhat  resinous  nature,  which  was  partly  soluble 
in  hot  water,  the  solution  giving  reactions  with  alkaloidal  reagents. 
All  the  above  experiments  render  the  existence  of  an  alkaloid  in 
white  ash  bark  more  than  doubtful,  without  throwing  much  light 
upon  the  bitter  principle.  Mr.  Kremers'  results  indicate  a  probable 
relation  of  at  least  one  constituent  to  fraxin  and  fraxetin;  but  these 
principles  as  obtained  from  the  barks  of  the  European  ash  and  of  the 
horse  chestnut  are  still  very  imperfectly  known. 
POLYGONUM  HYDROPIPER. 
By  C.  J.  Rademaker,  M.  D. 
That  the  active  principle  of  this  drug,  which  I  first  described  in 
the  American  Journal  of  Pharmacy,  November,  1871,  is  neither 
gallic  nor  tannic  acid,  as  was  stated  by  Messrs.  H.  Trimble  and  H. 
J.  Schuchard,  I  think  I  have  proven  beyond  a  doubt  (see  this  Jour- 
nal, June,  1886,  p.  279).  In  the  July  number,  p.  356  of  this 
Journal,  I  see  that  the  gentlemen  are  considerably  agitated  over 
my  criticism  of  their  article,  that  they  cannot  resist  the  temptation  of 
