240  Some  Derivatives  of  Chimaphilin.  {AmMay?iS.arm' 
These  results  seem  to  indicate  that  the  compound  was  a  nitro- 
derivative  of  an  oxidation  product  of  chimaphilin. 
Fairbanks  stated  that  concentrated  nitric  acid  did  not  affect  the 
crystals  of  chimaphilin,  while  Peacock  reported  that  they  dissolved 
in  nitric  acid,  and  were  precipitated,  apparently  unaltered,  by  the 
addition  of  water. 
The  residue  of  Chimaphila  umbellata,  from  which  the  water  had 
been  distilled  to  obtain  the  chimaphilin,  was  dried  and  afterwards 
percolated  with  petroleum  ether.  This  solvent  extracted  a  consid- 
erable quantity  of  green  coloring  matter,  and  a  small  amount  of  a 
granular  substance.  The  amount  of  the  latter  seemed  to  increase 
in  the  percolate  as  the  drug  came  nearer  exhaustion  of  the  coloring 
matter. 
The  greater  part  of  the  petroleum  ether  was  recovered  from  the 
percolate,  which  subsequently,  upon  cooling,  separated  the  granular 
substance  mentioned.  When  cool,  the  liquid  portion  which 
retained  the  green  color  was  filtered  off.  Trial  having  shown  that 
the  granular  substance  upon  the  filter  was  but  sparingly  soluble  in 
alcohol,  it  was  washed  with  that  liquid  to  remove  traces  of  green 
color. 
It  was  found  best  to  recrystallize  the  principle  by  the  spontaneous 
evaporation  of  its  chloroformic  solution — a  plan  that  was  adopted, 
and  by  means  of  which  colorless,  many-sided  crystals  were 
obtained.  These  crystals  possessed  little  or  no  taste,  but  produced 
a  burning  sensation  when  their  chloroformic  solution  was  applied  to 
the  skin.  They  did  not  melt  at  2500  C.  When  carefully  heated  on 
platinum  foil,  they  fused  to  a  clear  liquid  and  sublimed,  apparently 
unchanged,  passing  off  as  white  clouds. 
When  rapidly  heated,  the  crystals  burned  with  a  smoky,  lumi- 
nous flame,  and  were  entirely  consumed. 
Benzol,  like  chloroform,  readily  dissolved  the  crystals,  while  ether, 
absolute  alcohol  and  petroleum  ether,  showed  slight  solvent  power 
only. 
Purification  seemed  to  have  decreased  their  solubility  in  the  last 
liquid. 
This  principle  was  obtainable  from  both  the  stem  and  the  leaf  of 
the  plant. 
Though  melting  at  a  temperature  distinctively  different  from  that 
recorded  by  Beshore  for  the  substance  discovered  by  him,  and  to 
