338 
Veratrum  Viride. 
{Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
July,  1879. 
of  lead  and  neutralizing  the  free  acid  with  carbonate  of  baryta,  the 
filtered  solution  was  evaporated  to  a  syrup  and  thrown  into  alcohol. 
The  filtered  alcohol  solution,  evaporated  and  exposed  to  a  temperature 
of  2i2°F.  until  it  ceased  to  lose  weight,  gave  a  product  representing 
85'5  per  cent,  of  the  extract. 
This  product  has  a  transparent  red  color,  a  saccharine  taste,  with 
some  bitterness,  and  acts  energetically  as  a  reducing  agent  with  salts  of 
copper  and  silver.  In  chemical  character  it  appears  to  be  almost 
entirely  glucose. 
The  amount  of  alkaloids  contained  in  this  extract  was  determined 
for  the  portion  soluble  in  water  and  for  the  resin  separately.  . 
880  grains  of  the  extract,  representing  the  yield  from  one  pound  of 
root,  was  exhausted  with  water,  the  washings  were  evaporated  to  reduce 
the  volume  and  carbonate  of  soda  added  to  alkaline  reaction.  After 
separating  the  precipitate,  the  solution  was  heated  to  I50°F.  and  a 
little  caustic  soda  added.  The  precipitate  occasioned  was  removed 
while  the  solution  was  warm. 
The  weight  of  the  first  precipitate  by  carbonate  of  soda  was  i6-j  grains. 
The  second,  by  caustic  soda,  Was    .  .  .  2*6 
Total,  *  i9"3 
These  alkaloids  contained  a  large  amount  of  coloring  matter,  from 
which  they  were  purified  by  re-solution  in  acetic  acid,  filtering  and  pre- 
cipitation from  a  warm  solution.  The  precipitate,  when  dry,  weighed 
10*7  grains. 
All  of  the  mother-waters  were  made  acid  and  evaporated,  then  made 
alkaline  and  treated  with  ether.  The  ether  product  was  dissolved  in 
acetic  acid,  filtered  and  precipitated  as  before.  Weight  of  product, 
17  grain  ;  total  weight  of  mixed  alkaloids,  12*4  grains. 
The  jervia  was  separated  by  precipitation,  as  a  nitrate,  from  an  acetic 
solution  representing  3  grains  in  each  fluidounce,  by  addition  of  an 
equal  volume  of  a  saturated  solution  of  nitrate  of  potassium.  After 
standing  6  hours,  the  nitrate  of  jervia  was  collected  on  a  filter  and 
washed  with  a  solution  of  nitrate  of  potassium,  pressed  between  folds 
of  bibulous  paper  and  dried.  Weight  of  nitrate  of  jervia,  7*9  grains. 
After  the  separation  of  the  jervia  the  solution  was  evaporated,  heated 
to  I50°F.  and  precipitated  by  soda.  Weight  of  other  alkaloids,  3*2 
grains. 
