Am'jrz8P76arm"}  Alkaloids  ofVeratrum  Viride  and  Album.  5 
filtrate  with  ether.  In  its  pure  state,  as  left  by  ether  and  pulverized,, 
the  alkaloid  forms  a  pure  white,  sparkling  powder. 
For  the  recovery  of  the  jervia,  left  on  the  filter  in  the  form  of 
chloride,  the  deposit,  being  first  pulverized,  is  boiled  for  some  time,  with 
a  solution  of  carbonate  of  sodium,  the  mixture  transferred  to  a  filter, 
and  the  residue  washed  with  a  little  water.  The  washed  residue  is 
treated  on  the  filter  with  a  little  water  strongly  acidulated  with  acetic 
acid,  by  which  the  liberated  alkaloid  will  be  dissolved.  The  filtrate 
thus  obtained  will  usually  be  more  or  less  turbid  ;  but  by  returning  it 
to  the  filter,  it  may  be  obtained  clear. 
The  jervia  is  now  thrown  down  form  the  filtrate  by  slight  excess 
of  carbonate  of  sodium,  and  the  precipitate  extracted  by  agitating  the 
mixture  with  chloroform,  which  on  evaporation  will  leave  the  alkaloid 
in  the  form  of  a  hard,  transparent,  amorphous  deposit.  On  moistening 
this  residue  with  a  few  drops  of  water,  containing  a  drop  or  two  oi 
alcohol,  it  will  quickly  be  converted  into  a  white  mass  of  groups  of 
crystals  of  the  pure  alkaloid. 
A  portion  of  both  alkaloids  is  retained  by  the  resinous  matter  separ- 
ated from  the  original  aqueous  mixture  of  the  fluid  extract,  and  may  be 
recovered  by  boiling  the  powdered  mass  with  water  strongly  acidulated 
with  acetic  acid. 
The  alkaloids  from  veratrum  album  were  obtained  by  extracting  the 
powdered  root  with  water  containing  acetic  acid,  treating  the  concentrated 
solution  with  carbonate  of  sodium,  and  taking  up  the  precipitate  by  ether, 
in  the  manner  already  described.  The  ether  extract  of  the  mixed 
alkaloids  left  the  jervia  in  the  same  crystalline  form  as  obtained  from 
veratrum  viride. 
Reactions  of  Jervia : — Sulphuric  acid  causes  pure  jervia  to  assume  a 
yellow  color,  and  slowly  dissolves  it  to  a  yellow  or  faintly  reddish-yel- 
low solution,  which  after  some  minutes  acquires  a  beautiful  bright 
green  color.  A  very  minute  quantity  of  the  alkaloid  will  exhibit  this 
coloration.  After  a  few  hours,  the  green  color  thus  produced  disap- 
pears, and  a  dirty  white  or  brownish  precipitate  separates. 
This  acid  produces  similar  results  with  the  chloride,  sulphate,  and 
acetate  of  the  alkaloid,  when  in  the  solid  state  ;  but  it  dissolves  the 
nitrate  with  the  production  of  an  orange -red  color,  which  is  permanent 
for  at  least  some  hours. 
Nitric  acid  quickly  dissolves  the  alkaloid  to  a  colorless  solution,  which 
after  a  time  acquires  a  more  or  less  rose  or  pinkish  hue. 
