172  Constituents  of  Taraxacum  Root.  {AmAp°rnr'i9i3arm' 
of  warm  amyl  alcohol.  These  amyl-alcoholic  liquids  were  united, 
washed  with  water,  concentrated  under  diminished  pressure  to  the 
consistency  of  a  syrup,  and  the  last  traces  of  amyl  alcohol  removed 
by  passing  steam  through  the  liquid.  The  syrupy  product  was  then 
further  concentrated  under  diminished  pressure,  afterwards  on  a 
water-bath,  and  finally  dried  as  completely  as  possible  in  a  vacuum 
desiccator.  There  was  thus  obtained  a  quantity  (42.5  grams)  of  a 
dark  brown,  viscous  mass,  which  possessed  a  strongly  bitter  taste, 
and  in  aqueous  solution  gave  a  dark  green  color  with  ferric 
chloride. 
Twelve  grams  of  the  above-mentioned  product  were  heated  for 
two  hours  with  5  per  cent,  sulphuric  acid  in  aqueous  alcohol.  On 
subsequently  distilling  the  mixture  in  a  current  of  steam,  a  very 
small  amount  of  a  yellow  oil  was  obtained,  which  gave  the  color 
reaction  of  furfuraldehyde.  The  aqueous  acid  liquid  was  then 
extracted  many  times  with  ether,  after  which  the  sulphuric  acid 
was  removed  by  barium  hydroxide,  the  excess  of  the  latter  by 
carbon  dioxide,  and  the  filtered  liquid  concentrated.  From  this 
syrupy  product  a  small  amount  of  an  osazone  (m.  p.  210 — 2110) 
was  prepared,  thus  indicating  that  some  glucosidic  material  was 
contained  in  the  amyl  alcoholic  extract.  The  above-mentioned 
ethereal  extract  of  the  aqueous  acid  liquid  was  thoroughly  extracted 
with  aqueous  ammonium  carbonate,  after  which  the  ethereal  liquid 
was  dried  and  evaporated,  but  only  a  trace  of  yellow,  amorphous 
material  remained.  On  acidifying  the  ammonium  carbonate  ex- 
tract, however,  extracting  many  times  with  ether,  and  evaporat- 
ing the  solvent,  a  small  amount  of  a  crystalline  substance  was 
deposited.  After  recrystallisation  from  ethyl  acetate  this  was 
obtained  in  thin,  flat  needles,  melting  at  1460,  and  was  identical 
with  the  />-hydroxyphenylacetic  acid,  C8H803?  previously  described. 
(Found,  0=62.5;  H=54.  Calc,  0=63.1  ;  H=5.3  per  cent.)  The 
amount  thus  obtained  was  only  0.09  gram. 
Another  portion  (27  grams)  of  the  above-mentioned  amyl- 
alcoholic  extract  was  heated  for  a  few  minutes  with  a  10  per  cent, 
solution  of  potassium  hydroxide ;  the  mixture  then  rapidly  cooled 
and  acidified,  when  a  quantity  of  resinous  material  separated.  This 
was  collected,  mixed  with  purified  sawdust,  and  the  dried  mixture 
thoroughly  extracted  with  ether.  The  aqueous  acid  liquid  from 
which  the  resin  had  been  removed  was  likewise  extracted  many 
times  with  ether,  after  which  the  two  ethereal  liquids  were  united 
