I52 
Veratrum  Viride. 
Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
April,  1876. 
tion  was  evaporated  to  dryness,  the  product  dissolved  in  warm  dilute 
acetic  acid,  and  precipitated  by  a  solution  of  nitrate  of  potassium.  After 
standing  24  hours  to  allow  the  nitrate  of  jervia  to  crystallize  out,  the 
solution  was  filtered  and  precipitated  by  caustic  soda,  and  the  precipi- 
tate washed  with  a  warm  solution  of  the  alkali,  which  removed  con- 
siderable coloring  matter.  It  was  then  redissolved  in  acetic  acid,  the 
jervia  again  separated  by  nitrate  of  potassium,  and  the  mother- water 
precipitated  by  soda.  This  operation  was  performed  the  third  time, 
after  which  nitrate  of  potassium  no  longer  caused  a  precipitate.  When 
heated  on  platinum  foil  the  product  burned  with  a  smoky  flame  and 
left  a  residue  ;  in  dilute  hydrochloric  acid,  it  dissolved  without  effer- 
vesence.  Addition  of  ammonia  (containing  so  little  carbonate  as  not 
to  disturb  a  solution  of  acetate  of  lime)  afforded  an  immediate  precipi- 
tate ;  after  separation  of  the  precipitate,  oxalate  of  ammonia  afforded 
the  usual  reaction  for  lime.  The  product  was  therefore  lime-salts^ 
resin  and  some  alkaloid.  To  separate  these,  the  product  was  dissolved 
in  alcohol,  filtered  and  evaporated  to  dryness  ;  this  was  treated  with 
ether  until  exhausted,  and  the  ether  allowed  to  evaporate  spontaneously. 
The  residuum  insoluble  in  the  ether  was  fixed  when  tried  in  the  flame. 
The  ether  left,  on  evaporation,  a  central  portion  of  white  crystalline 
product,  with  the  upper  margin  surrounded  by  a  non-crystalline,  light- 
colored  resinous-looking  matter.  An  examination  of  both  of  these 
products  separately  gave  no  indication  of  the  presence  of  veratria.  The 
whole  of  this  ether  product  was  then  treated  with  dilute  acetic  acid  ;  a 
turbid  solution  was  obtained,  with  finely-divided  insoluble  matter  sus- 
pended (resin).  After  filtration,  addition  of  a  few  drops  of  a  solution 
of  nitrate  of  potassium  gave  an  immediate  precipitate  of  nitrate  of  jervia. 
The  Resin,  which  was  dissolved  by  the  solution  of  caustic  soda,, 
was  precipitated  by  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  well  washed,  dried,  pow- 
dered, and  treated  with  rectified  petroleum  benzin  ;  the  benzin  solu- 
tion left  on  evaporation  a  light-colored,  fatty  matter,  which  solidified 
on  cooling. 
The  resin  was  then  treated  with  washed  ether  until  exhausted  ; 
on  evaporation,  the  ether  left  a  dark  red  translucent  resin.  (This  resin 
was  entirely  insoluble  in  warm  dilute  acetic  acid,  but  when  triturated 
with  precipitated  carbonate  of  lime,  a  portion  afterwards  dissolved  with 
the  lime  in  acetic  acid,  and  was  precipitated  with  the  lime  on  addition 
of  caustic  soda,  containing  a  little  carbonate  ;  excess  of  soda  did  not 
