Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Sept.,  1888. 
A  New  Base  in  Tea. 
461 
one  can  get  an  idea  if  any  other  samples  contain  about  the  right 
quantity  of  hair,  which  is  some  guide.  I  then  took  the  ash  in  dried 
samples  of  the  leaves  ;  the  amount  soluble  in  water  and  its  alkalinity  ; 
the  amount  sol.  in  HCl  and  the  insoluble ;  and,  finally,  the  amount  of 
alcoholic  extract  calculated  on  the  ash  and  water-free  leaves.  The 
results  are  contained  in  the  accompanying  table.^ 
It  will  be  observed  that  the  samples  obtained  from  Messrs.  Allen 
and  Hanbury  contain  considerably  more  ash  than  the  others,  and  with 
one  exception  yield  more  extract.  I  have  added  the  results  obtained 
from  the  two  District  samples  of  powder,  which  in  point  of  extract 
closely  resemble  the  majority,  but  one  of  them  differs  largely  in  ash. 
I  have  also  added  the  results  obtained  from  buchu  leaves,  which  give 
about  half,  both  ash  and  extract. 
A  NEW  BASE  IN  TEA.^ 
By  a.  Kossel. 
In  the  examination  of  large  quantities  of  tea  extract  received  from 
Dr.  Fr.  Witte,  of  Rostock,  I  have  ascertained  the  presence  of  a  new 
base  that  is  associated  with  theine  in  minute  proportion.  The  syrupy 
extract  was  operated  upon  in  the  following  manner :  After  mixing 
with  water  sulphuric  acid  was  added  to  separate  smeary  products,  and 
the  resulting  liquid  was  supersaturated  with  ammonia.  Ammoniacal 
solution  of  silver  nitrate  was  then  added,  and  the  precipitate  thus 
formed  was  collected  by  filtration.  The  precipitate  was  digested  with 
warm  nitric  acid,  the  mixture  filtered  to  separate  silver  salts  that  had 
deposited,  and  the  filtrate  made  alkaline  with  ammonia.  In  the  course 
of  twenty-four  hours  a  brownish  amorphous  precipitate  was  deposited, 
which  contained  the  new  base  in  the  state  of  a  silver  compound,  and 
by  evaporating  the  clear  filtered  liquid  a  further  quantity  of  this 
silver  compound  was  obtained.  After  separating  the  silver  from  this 
compound  by  treatment  with  sulphuretted  hydrogen  and  filtering,  a 
^  It  will  be  observed  that  several  are  done  in  duplicate,  one  on  the  leaf 
whole  and  the  other  on  the  powdered  leaf.  I  thought  it  just  possible  the  re- 
sults might  differ,  as  in  the  powder  the  proportion  of  veins  from  the  leaves 
might  be  differently  distributed.  When  bought  powdered,  the  samples 
mostly  contained  more  ash. 
^Berichte  der  deutschen  chemischen  Gesellschaft,  1888,  No.  11,  p.  2164;  reprinted 
from  Pharmaceutical  Journal  and  Transactions,  July  21. 
