A  o Jober  Pi9air9m'  )    Study  of  Strophauthus  Kombe  Seeds.  681 
The  seeds  de-fatted  with  petroleum  ether  were  then  exhausted 
with  ether,  yielding  0415  per  cent,  residue,  which  was  found  to  be 
physiologically  inactive. 
One  may  conclude,  therefore,  that  the  activity  of  the  oil  and  the 
ether  extract  obtained  by  some  previous  investigators  was  probably 
due  to  the  seeds  and  solvents  not  having  been  well  dried. 
The  de-fatted  seeds,  obtained  as  above  by  treatment  with  petro- 
leum ether  and  ether,  were  exhausted  with  various  solvents,  and  the 
activity  of  the  residue  left  after  evaporation  of  the  solvent  deter- 
mined physiologically  and  chemically  in  each  case. 
Exhaustion  was  carried  out  by  means  of  a  Soxhlet  apparatus 
and  under  reduced  pressure,  so  that  the  temperature  did  not  exceed 
60 0  C,  so  as  not  to  cause  decomposition  of  a  physiologically  active 
body.  This  was  more  necessary  as  the  seeds  were  not  readily  ex- 
hausted of  their  bitter  principle — even  water  (the  best  solvent)  re- 
1  quiring  a  period  of  six  days,  during  which  two  processes  alternated 
—  (a)  continuous  exhaustion  for  eight  hours,  followed  by  (b)  six- 
teen hours  of  simple  maceration. 
In  brief  the  above  work  may  elucidate  the  following  points : 
1.  The  oil  of  Strophanthus  Kombe  seeds  isolated  by  dry  petro- 
leum ether  is  inactive. 
2.  The  ethereal  residue  is  inactive. 
3.  The  poisonous  property  of  the  seeds  is  due  to  a  water-soluble 
glucoside  or  glucosides. 
4.  No  active  principle  other  than  the  water-soluble  body  was 
removed  by  any  of  the  solvents  employed. 
5.  Water  completely  removes  the  active  principle  from  the  seeds. 
6.  Methyl  alcohol  comes  next  to  water  in  being  a  good  solvent 
for  the  active  principle. 
7.  Neither  absolute  alcohol  nor  amyl  alcohol  did  completely  re- 
move the  bitter  principle  from  the  seeds — probably  due  to  the  coagu- 
lation of  the  proteid  substances,  and  thus  prevent  thorough  contact 
of  solvent  and  solute. 
8.  Amyl  alcohol  completely  removes  the  bitter  principle  from 
the  aqueous  residue  but  not  from  the  seeds. 
9.  Chloroform  is  a  very  poor  solvent  for  the  active  principle. 
10.  The  water-soluble  glucoside  or  glucosides  slow  the  heart, 
prolong  the  period  of  systole,  and  are  non-cumulative. 
The  chemical  tests  utilized  in  the  above  table  are:  (1)  The  sul- 
phuric acid  (80  per  cent.)  test;  (2)  the  ferric  chloride  and  sulphuric 
