Am.  Jour.  Pharm. 
June,  1895. 
Anatolian  Licorice  Root. 
309 
When  this  ammoniacal  solution  was  acidified  with  dilute  sulphuric 
acid,  a  precipitate  was  obtained,  which  was  dried  to  a  constant 
weight  and  thus  estimated  as  glycyrrhizin.  It  amounted  to  -48  per 
cent,  of  the  entire  drug. 
Water  Extract. — Water  dissolved  10-34  per  cent,  of  organic 
solids.  A  small  quantity  of  albuminous  matter  was  precipitated 
when  some  of  the  unevaporated  solution  was  mixed  with  four  vol- 
umes of  absolute  alcohol,  and  allowed  to  stand  over  night.  The 
extract  included  5-2  per  cent,  of  glucose  and  2-21  per  cent,  of  su- 
crose. 
Alkaline  Water  Extract. — This  was  obtained  by  treating  the  resi- 
due from  the  application  of  water  to  the  drug  with  a  -2  per  cent, 
solution  of  sodium  hydrate  in  water.  This  solvent  removed  1-14 
per  cent,  of  organic  solids.  A  small  quantity  of  albuminous  or  mucil- 
aginous matter  was  detected  by  acidifying  a  portion  of  the  liquid 
extract  with  acetic  acid  and  then  adding  four  volumes  of  absolute 
alcohol. 
Acidulated  Water  Extract. — Water  containing  •  I  percent,  of  hy- 
drochloric acid  extracted  -52  per  cent,  of  organic  solids,  including 
pararabin.  Phosphates  and  oxalates  were  also  dissolved  by  the 
acidulated  water. 
The  Crystalline  Principle  of  the  Petroleum  Ether  Extract. — This 
principle  was  first  noticed  when  the  residue  left  upon  evaporating 
the  alcoholic  solution  of  the  petroleum  ether  extract,  and  from  which 
most  of  the  wax  had  been  separated  by  cooling,  was  viewed  with  a 
lens  of  low  magnifying  power.  It  formed  numerous  minute  crystals 
of  peculiar  shapes,  and  was  embedded  in  the  fatty  and  waxy  matters 
of  the  extract.  Some  of  the  crystals  were  fern-like  in  shape,  some 
had  the  outline  of  the  Maltese  cross,  while  others  were  long,  acicu- 
lar  and  interlaced. 
The  residue  containing  the  crystals  was  treated  with  distilled 
water.  The  water  solution  was  evaporated  to  dryness  on  a  water- 
bath.  A  very  small  quantity  of  distinctly  crystalline  residue  was 
thereby  obtained.  This  residue  was  again  dissolved  in  water,  and 
the  resulting  solution  shaken  with  ether.  When  separated  and 
allowed  to  evaporate  spontaneously  this  solvent  left  a  small  amount 
of  the  crystalline  substance.  To  obtain  more  of  the  principle  a 
larger  quantity  of  the  same  variety  of  licorice  root  was  subjected  to 
the  process  by  which  the  crystals  were  at  first  isolated.    A  small 
