388 
Scammorx  Substitutes. 
Am.  Tour.  Pharm. 
June,  1919. 
SCAMMONY  AND  ITS  SUBSTITUTES.1 
By  W.  L.  Scoville. 
There  was  recently  received  from  a  New  York  broker  a  sample 
of  a  Mexican  plant  known  as  Resina  drastica,  with  the  statement 
that  several  hundred  pounds  of  it  were  available,,  and  asking  for  an 
offer  for  the  lot.  The  drug  so  closely  resembled  that  known  as 
Mexican  scammonv,  Ipomoca  orizzabensis,  as  to  be  mistaken  for 
that  drug  on  quick  inspection  by  our  botanist. 
On  extracting  the  ground  drug  with  alcohol  it  was  immediately 
evident  that  something  different  from  Mexican  scammonv  was  at 
hand,  for  the  percolate  was  a  deep  yellow  in  color,  and  when  it  was 
concentrated  and  poured  into  acidulated  water  a  bright  lemon- 
yellow  resin  was  obtained.  This  resin  amounted  to  19.2  per  cent, 
of  the  drug  taken.  The  alcoholic  solution  showed  23.5  per  cent,  of 
total  extractive  from  the  drug. 
A  comparison  of  the  chemical  characters  of  the  resin  with  true 
resin  of  scammonv,  Convolvulus  scammonia,  and  with  the  resin  of 
Mexican  scammonv  disclosed  the  following : 
Resin  of 
Scammony. 
Resin  of  Mexican 
Scammony.  ■ 
Resin  of  Resina 
drastica 
Yield,  per  cent  
About  8 
9  to  20 
19.2 
Yellowifh- 
Straw 
Lemon-yellow 
brown 
Ash  .  
Practically 
Practically 
Practicaily 
none 
none 
none 
Solubility  in 
Petroleum  ether  
3.5  per  cent. 
2.5  per  cent. 
1.0  per  cent. 
Ether   
Soluble 
Soluble 
72.6  per  cent. 
Acetic  ether  
Soluble 
Soluble 
Soluble 
Chloroform  
Cloudy  soln. 
Cloud}'  soln. 
94  per  cent. 
10  per  cent,  ammonia  
Cloudy  soln. 
Cloudy  soln. 
Cloudy  soln. 
10  per  cent,  potassium  hydroxide 
solution  
Cloud}-  soln. 
Cloudy  soln. 
Cloudy  soln. 
Acid  number  
20 
23-5 
28.0 
Saponification  number  
198 
140 
136 
Optical  rotation  
—  17-3 
— ■  24.8 
—  32.4 
Color  with  FeCl3  
Dark  green 
Faint  green 
Dark  green 
The  optical  rotation  of  true  scammony  resin  obtained  from  the 
root  is  reported  by  P.  Guigues  to  vary  from  —  180  31'  to  — 23°  30' 
and  the  upper  limit  of  natural  scammony  resin  as  — 250.  Resins 
having  a  rotation  of  — 230  to  — 250  are  considered  to  be  derived 
from  Ipomoca  orizabensis. 
The  resin  of  Resina  drastica  is  less  soluble  in  ether  and  in  chloro- 
1  Reprinted  from  Jour.  Ind.  and  Engr.  Chcni.,  April,  1919. 
