AmAp?iiI"'i9ih3arm"}      Constituents  of  Taraxacum  Root.  175 
acid,  but,  with  the  exception  of  traces  of  furfuraldehyde,  it  yielded 
nothing  definite  by  this  treatment.  A  further  portion  of  the  syrup 
was  mixed  with  purified  sawdust,  and  the  dried  mixture  extracted 
successively  in  a  Soxhlet  apparatus  with  ether,  chloroform,  and 
ethyl  acetate,  but  only  small  amounts  of  sugary  material  were  thus 
removed. 
The  original  syrupy  liquid,  when  heated  with  an  alkali  hydroxide 
developed  a  strongly  basic,  ammoniacal  odour,  and  it  gave  an 
appreciable  precipitate  with  a  solution  of  idodine  in  potassium 
iodide. 
Isolation  of  Choline,  C5H1502N. 
The  main  portion  of  the  above-mentioned  syrupy  aqueous  liquid 
was  thoroughly  extracted  with  alcohol,  the  resulting  liquid  evapor- 
ated, and  the  residue  from  the  latter  repeatedly  treated  with  alcohol, 
in  the  same  manner,  until  a  product  was  finally  obtained  which 
was  soluble  in  nearly  absolute  alcohol.  By  this  means  a  large 
proportion  of  the  sugar  was  eliminated,  together  with  any  other 
material  which  was  sparingly  soluble  in  alcohol.  To  the  alcoholic 
solution  thus  obtained  a  saturated  alcoholic  solution  of  mercuric 
chloride  was  added,  and  the  mixture  kept  in  a  closed  vessel  for  a 
week.  The  precipitate  which  had  then  formed  was  collected, 
washed  with  a  little  alcohol,  dissolved  as  completely  as  possible  in 
warm  water,  and  the  solution  filtered.  The  mercury  was  sub- 
sequently removed  from  this  solution  by  hydrogen  sulphide,  the 
liquid  again  filtered,  neutralised  with  sodium  carbonate,  then 
slightly  acidified  with  hydrochloric  acid,  and  finally  evaporated  to 
dryness,  for  the  most  part  in  a  vacuum  desiccator.  The  dry  residue 
was  treated  with  absolute  alcohol,  the  filtered  liquid  evaporated, 
and  the  residue  repeatedly  so  treated  until  free  from  inorganic  salt. 
A  relatively  small  amount  of  a  nearly  colorless  product  was  thus 
obtained,  which  deliquesced  on  exposure  to  the  air,  and  the  aqueous 
solution  of  which  was  precipitated  by  the  usual  alkaloidal  reagents, 
as  also  by  gold  chloride.  It  possessed,  in  fact,  all  the  recognised 
properties  of  choline  chloride.  A  small  portion  of  the  substance  was 
dissolved  in  a  little  water,  and  precipitated  by  a  solution  of  auric 
chloride,  the  pale  yellow  precipitate  being  collected,  washed  with  a 
little  water,  and  dried  at  100 — 105 0  : 
0.0332  gave  on  ignition  0.017  Au.    Au  =  44.3. 
C5H14ONCl,AuCl3  requires  Au  =  44.5  per  cent. 
