Am.  Jour.  Pharm.  1 
Feb.  1, 1871.  J 
On  Iva  [Achillea  Moschata.) 
87 
in  alcohol  and  evaporated,  to  remove  acetic  acid,  then  treated  with 
animal  charcoal  and  the  alcohol  evaporated.  Iva  in  =  C^gH^gOg  has 
the  consistency  of  Venice  turpentine,  is  of  a  yellow  color,  insoluble 
in  water,  and  in  alcoholic  solution  has  a  persistently  bitter  taste. 
Achilleina.  The  aqueous  extract  was  triturated  with  alcohol  until 
it  ceased  to  become  colored ;  the  alcohol  was  distilled  off  and  the 
residue  precipitated  by  water.  The  precipitate  having  been  washed 
with  water,  the  aqueous  liquid  was  agitated  with  plumbic  hydrate  to 
remove  acids.  The  filtrate  was  freed  from  lead,  evaporated  and  al- 
ternately dissolved  in  absolute  alcohol  and  in  water,  and  evaporated 
until  the  achilleina  yielded  clear  solutions  with  both  liquids.  Thus 
prepared,  it  has  an  alkaline  reaction,  is  brown  red,  amorphous,  friable, 
very  hygroscopic,  readily  soluble  in  water,  with  more  diflSculty  in 
absolute  alcohol,  insoluble  in  ether ;  its  odor  is  peculiar,  its  taste  very 
bitter  but  not  disagreeable.  The  author  isolated  also  the  bitter  prin- 
ciple from  Achillea  millefolium,  which  had  been  obtained  by  Zanoa  in 
a  not  entirely  pure  state,  and  found  it  to  be  identical  with  achilleina. 
Composition  =  C4oH3gN203o.    The  salts  have  not  been  investigated. 
Mosehatina.  The  precipitate  obtained  by  water,  in  the  concen- 
trated alcoholic  residue,  was  taken  up  by  absolute  alcohol,  evaporated 
to  dryness  and  treated  with  water  until  the  mass  became  pulverizable 
under  water.  It  is  of  an  aromatic  bitter  taste,  little  hygroscopic, 
barely  soluble  in  water,  fuses  under  water  upon  the  water-bath,  and 
separates  from  its  solution  in  hot  water  in  a  pulverulent  condition. 
Composition  — 
AcMlletin.  On  boiling  achilleina  for  several  days  with  diluted 
acids  sugar  is  formed,  together  with  a  volatile  aromatic  principle  and 
probably  ammonia,  and  a  dark-brown  powder  separates  which  is  not 
bitter,  insoluble  in  water,  sparingly  in  alcohol,  and  in  this  solution 
has  an  aromatic  taste.    Composition  =  CogH^^NOg. 
The  author  also  obtained  stearic  acid  on  cooling  the  tincture  of  iva, 
concentrated  by  distillation, 
The  aqueous  solution  of  the  ashes  contained  very  little  sulphate  of 
lime  and  magnesia,  but  considerable  alkalies  and  chlorine.  Nitric 
acid  dissolves  from  the  residue  carbonates,  much  lime,  also  phos- 
phoric acid  and  little  magnesia.  The  undissolved  portion  consisted 
of  charcoal  and  much  silica. — Annalen  der  Ohemie  und  Pharmacies 
1870,  August,  145—161.  J.  M.  M. 
