10 
Preparations  of  Ergot. 
/Am,  Jour.  Pharm. 
1      Jan,,  1883. 
and  sometimes  separates,  upon  standing,  stellate  tufts  of  a  pearl  color 
supposed  to  be  cholesterln.  The  oil  yields  an  orange-yellow  soap.  It 
has  been  lately  recommended  for  skin  diseases,  and  the  soap  could 
possibly  be  used  to  advantage.  The  writer  has  used  several  hundred 
pounds  of  the  oil  as  a  lubricator  for  machinery  and  found  it  unequaled. 
To  determine  if  the  oil  contained  any  alkaloid,  it  was  agitated  with 
very  little  dilute  sulphuric  acid ;  the  acid  liquid  concentrated  and  an 
excess  of  caustic  soda  added,  which  threw  down  a  cinnamon-brown 
body.  This  precipitate  was  washed  with  water,  in  which  it  seemed 
insoluble,  and  citric  acid  added.  Upon  further  standing  well  defined 
crystals  were  formed,  which  were  colored  orange-yellow  by  sulphuric 
acid ;  hut  showed  no  precipitation  with  alkaloid  reagents.  This  substance 
was  supposed  to  be  Sclero-crystallin  which,  according  to  Dragendorlf, 
is  of  no  medical  importance. 
Alcoholic  Extractive. — The  asphalt-like  resinous  mass  above 
referred  to,  extracted  with  strong  alcohol,  which,  according  to  Hager, 
is  only  fit  to  burn  up,  was  examined  with  a  view  to  isolate  the  alkaloid 
ergotinina.  It  was  broken  up,  some  soda  added  and  extracted  with 
ether  and  the  ethereal  liquid  mixed  with  water,  but  sufficient  soap  was 
held  in  solution  to  prevent  the  liberation  of  the  ether,  which  should 
contain  the  alkaloid,  the  mixture  forming  a  thick  emulsion  which  after 
long  standing  did  not  show  any  signs  of  separation.  The  production 
of  this  rare  alkaloid  was  therefore  temporarily  abandoned  and  its  isola- 
tion is  undoubtedly  coupled  with  great  difficulties  as  the  most  thorough 
pharmaceutical  chemist,  DragendorflP,  failed  in  it  and  is  of  the  opinion  it 
is  almost  impracticable.  The  ethereal  solution  previous  to  the  addition 
of  water  left  upon  evaporation  acicular  crystals  which  corresponded  in 
tests  and  appearance  to  sclerocrystallin. 
Fluid  Extract  of  Ergot. — The  official  process  of  the  last  pharma- 
copoeia was  based  upon  too  general  a  method  without  any  regard  for 
the  extraction  of  the  active  constituents  or  their  preservation.  The 
addition  of  acetic  acid  previous  to  the  concentration  of  the  weak  perco- 
late was  unnecessary  and  irrational  as  the  active  principle  being  itself 
an  acid,  an  alkali  would  have  been  better  adapted  to  prevent  its  vola- 
tilization if  fugitive.  The  alcoholic  strength  of  the  menstruum  was 
too  great,  as  it  extracted  none  of  the  scleromucin  which  is  only  soluble 
in  alcohol  of  40  per  cent,  and  under.  The  glycerin  and  the  high 
alcoholic  percentage  were  favorable  to  the  extraction  of  the  oil  and  the 
ergotinina,  which  were  possessed  of  undesirable,  if  not  actually  poisonous, 
