Am.  Jour.  Pharm. ) 
Aug.,  1879.  f 
Scoparin  and  Spartein, 
413 
It  is  more  than  possible  that  the  intermixture  of  this  wood  with  the 
Bidara  laut  has  given  rise  to  the  variations  in  the  latter  found  by  Mr. 
Vrijdag  Zijnen. 
Two  samples  of  the  bark  of  Strychnos  Nux  Vomica^  formerly  known 
as  false  angustura  bark,  were  also  examined.  The  samples  selected 
consisted  in  the  one  case  of  young  and  comparatively  thin  bark,  in  the 
other  of  old  and  thick.    They  yielded  respectively — 
Young  bark,  moisture,  7*79  per  cent.;  alkaloid  in  dry  bark,1  3*10  per  cent. 
Old  bark,  moisture,  7*83  per  cent  ;  alkaloid  in  dry  bark,  i*68  per  cent. 
Dragendorff,2  in  a  sample  which  would  occupy,  in  regard  to  age  and 
thickness,  an  intermediate  position,  found  2*4  of  brucia  in  addition  to  a 
small  amount  of  strychnia. 
The  percentage  of  alkaloid  would  seem,  then,  to  diminish  as  the  age 
and  apparently  also  the  thickness  of  the  bark  increases.  This,  per- 
haps, offers  us  an  explanation  of  the  fact  that  the  alkaloids  are  present 
in  Strychnos  colubrina  in  smaller  quantity  than  in  Strychnos  ligustrina 
(Bidara  laut),  the  bark  of  the  latter  being  thin  and  papery  in  comparison- 
with  that  of  the  former. 
Dorpat,  Russia. 
SCOPARIN  AND  SPARTEIN. 
By  E.  Merck. 
Increased  attention  having  been  recently  directed  in  Germany  to  the 
diuretic  properties  of  an  old  popular  remedy,  the  broom  (Sarothamnus 
Scoparius\  the  author  was  induced  to  prepare  a  quantity  of  the  two 
bodies,  scoparin  and  spartein,  discovered  in  the  plant  by  Stenhouse  ia 
185 1  and  described  by  him  as  its  active  principles,  and  to  submit  them  to 
Dr.  Fronmuller  for  therapeutic  experiment.  The  results  obtained  are 
described  in  a  paper  in  the  "  Heilbronner  Memorabilien,"  1878,  Heft 
12. 
Scoparin  occurs  in  the  form  of  a  line  yellow  powder,  in  which  under 
the  microscope  isolated  acicular  crystals  can  be  seen.  It  is  sparingly 
soluble  in  cold  water,  more  freely  in  boiling  water,  whilst  it  dissolves 
readily  in  alcohol  and  glycerin.  With  alkalies,  on  account  of  the  weak 
acid  properties  of  scoparin,  no  constant  neutral  compound  can  be. 
1  Calculated  to  anhydrous  brucia. 
2"  Ermittelung  von  Giften,"  1876,  p.  154. 
