5° 
Raiz  del  Indico, 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
Feb.  1876. 
line  groups,  of  an  orange-colored  principle,  which  by  the  following 
behavior  was  proven  to  be  chrysophanlc  acid :  It  was  readily  soluble  in 
amylic  alcohol,  ether,  benzol,  glacial  acetic  acid  and  coal  naphtha ; 
nearly  insoluble  in  cold  water  ;  sparingly  in  boiling  water,  imparting  to 
it  a  reddish  color ;  soluble  in  sulphuric  acid  and  reprecipitated  on  the 
addition  of  water  %  soluble  in  ammonia  and  the  fixed  alkalies,  with  a 
deep  red  color.  The  ammoniacal  solution  yielded  with  acetate  of  lead 
a  lilac-colored  and  with  subacetate  of  lead  a  yellow  precipitate,  the 
latter  becoming  carmine-red  on  the  addition  of  water,  and  cinnabar-red 
when  dried.  The  watery  solution  of  the  etherial  extract  was  free 
from  oxalic  acid,  but  contained  tannin,  which  was  obtained  as  a  brown- 
ish mass  by  precipitating  with  acetate  of  lead,  exhausting  the  precipi- 
tate with  acetic  acid,  neutralizing  with  ammonia,  and  decomposing  the 
precipitate  suspended  in  alcohol  with  sulphuretted  hydrogen.  It  was 
precipitated  by  gelatin,  black  by  ferric  chloride,  but  did  not  yield  pyro- 
gallic  acid. 
Treatment  with  Alcohol. — The  root,  exhausted  by  ether,  was  treated 
with  strong  alcohol,  the  tincture  concentrated  and  then  treated  with 
water,  which  produced  a  brownish  precipitate,  becoming  black  and 
glossy  on  drying.  Strong  alcohol  dissolved  it  in  part  only,  the  remain- 
ing portion  being  black  and  friable,  insoluble  in  water,  very  sparingly 
soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  chloroform  and  benzol,  burning  upon  platinum 
foil  without  melting,  yielding  with  alkalies  a  brown  color,  and  forming 
oxalic  acid  when  treated  with  boiling  nitric  acid.  This  behavior  proves 
it  to  be  aporetin. 
The  portion  soluble  in  strong  alcohol  yielded  with  ether  a  yellow 
solution,  and  a  brown,  insoluble  substance  corresponding  in  behavior  with 
phaoretin  :  when  heated  it  melted  and  gave  off  yellow  fumes  ;  it  is  with 
difficulty  soluble  in  water,  coloring  it  yellow,  yields  yellow  solutions 
with  alcohol  and  acetic  acid,  and  red-brown  solutions  with  alkalies  ;  its 
solution  in  sulphuric  acid,  when  diluted  with  water,  gives  a  yellow  pre- 
cipitate, and  its  ammoniacal  solution  a  violet-red  precipitate  with  lead 
acetate. 
The  yellow  etherial  solution  yielded  on  evaporation  erythroretin, 
which  was  found  to  be  insoluble  in  cold  water,  to  become  soft  and 
sparingly  soluble  in  boiling  water,  to  melt  on  being  heated,  and  give  off 
yellow  fumes,  to  yield  with  sulphuric  acid  a  brown  solution  which  is  pre- 
cipitated by  water,  to  be  soluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  acetic  acid,  and  with  a 
purple-red  color  in  alkalies  from  which  acids  precipitate  yellow  flocks. 
