AmDeZ'i87h9!rfr'* }     Supposed  Alkaloid  of  Podophyllum.  583 
was  soluble  in  hot  water,  was  well  washed  with  cold  water,  dissolved 
in  a  little  soda  and  the  solution  acidulated  with  hydrochloric  acid  ;  on 
passing  sulphuretted  hydrogen  through  the  solution,  not  the  faintest 
indication  of  the  presence  of  mercury  could  be  discovered. 
The  precipitate  b  was  boiled  with  water,  and  filtered  while  hot.  On 
cooling,  the  filtrate  became  turbid.  It  was  again  passed  through  paper, 
acidulated,  and  now  yielded  no  turbidity  with  Mayer's  test,  until  after 
it  had  been  further  concentrated ;  the  precipitate  had  precisely  the 
same  behavior  as  indicated  above. 
The  mother-liquor,  No.  2,  was  concentrated  and  treated  with  ether 
and  potassio-mercuric  iodide  \  the  results  were  identical  with  those 
obtained  with  No.  1. 
It  will  be  observed  that  none  of  the  experiments  detailed  above  indi- 
cate the  presence  of  even  traces  of  an  alicaloid,  and  the  cause  of  the 
precipitation  by  Mayer's  test  must  therefore  most  likely  be  sought  for 
in  the  slight  solubility  in  water  of  podopiyllintc  acid,  one  of  the  con- 
stituents of  the  so-called  resin  of  podophyllum,  since  even  Klunge's 
test  for  berberina  had  proven  its  entire  absence.  To  test  the  correct- 
ness of  this  supposition,  two  samples  of  podjphyllinic  acid,  prepared 
from  the  well-washed  officinal  resin  with  hot  water  and  with  ether, 
were  dissolved  in  hot  water,  the  filtered  solutions  cooled,  again  filtered, 
and  these  filtrates  treated  with  Mayer's  reagent,  both  with  and  without 
the  addition  of  hydrochloric  acid  ;  but  in  no  case  was  any  turbidity 
observed.  The  slight  quantity  of  this  resinous  compound  which 
remains  dissolved  in  cold  water  is  equally  soluble  therein  after  the  addition 
of  some  potassio-mercuric  iodide;  but  it  seems  that  some  other  consti- 
tuent of  the  rhizome  is  capable  of  retaining  for  some  time  a  somewhat 
larger  portion  of  podophyllinic  acid  in  complete  solution,  which  is  then 
precipitated  by  the  test  liquid  mentioned,  and  perhaps  by  other  salts, 
without,  however,  combining  with  the  metal.  Hence  the  clear  mother- 
liquors,  if  tested  shortly  after  the  preparation  of  resin  of  podophyllum, 
may  yield  a  precipitate  with  the  test  liquid,  which  would  not  be  obtain- 
able a  few  days  later. 
I  believe  that  it  may  now  be  considered  proven  that  the  rhizome 
of  podophyllum  contains  no  alkaloid  at  any  period  of  its  growth.  The 
yellow  crystalline  precipitate  mentioned  above  must  have  doubtless 
been  due  to  some  accidental  impurity  in  the  drug  (probably  hydrastis  ?), 
which,  from  its  minuteness,  escaped  detection  before  the  article  was 
ground. 
