EXPERIMENTS ON VALERIANIC ACID. 
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ART. LXXIV. — EXPERIMENTS ON VALERIANIC ACID. 
By Dr. L. Aschoff. 
Rabourdin was the first who discovered that the dried root 
of valerian yields a greater proportion of valerianic acid if, 
during distillation, some sulphuric acid be added to the- water 
and Dr. Riegel verified this observation. 
Dr. Aschoff, when examining these statements, certainly 
also obtained a large quantity of this valerianic acid, namely, 
from 15 pounds of the root 18 drachms and 21 scruples, and at 
the same time the distilled water was still so acid, that several 
unces of crystallized carbonate of soda were saturated by it. 
This fact induced him to suspect that the liquor must contain, 
besides valerianic acid, another acid. In order to convince 
himself of this he distilled a fresh portion of valerian root with 
water, without the addition of acid, until the last distilled por- 
tions no longer offered an acid reaction. The acid obtained 
was only valerianic acid. Upon this the residuary root in the 
still was mixed with 4| ounces of sulphuric acid and again 
distilled. This second liquor reacted again strongly by acid, 
and required about five ounces of carbonate of soda to saturate 
it. The soda salt thus formed contained acetic and formic 
acids. Both these acids are fixed by lime in the root of vale- 
rian, and hence they remain in the residue, if the root be only 
distilled with water. The addition of sulphuric acid, therefore, 
in the distillation of valerianic acid is not advisable. 
Dr. A . found, moreover, that if the root had only been distilled 
with water, the residue in the still always retains a strong acid 
reaction, which arises from some resinous substance and free 
malic acid. 
The time of gathering and the age of the root have an 
essential influence upon the quantity of the valerianic acid 
yielded, The author found that the root, which had been 
